


Future Fish: Chef Haruka x Fireman Makoto AU

by my_ships_have_canons



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cute, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Heavily detailed, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-06
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-04-03 05:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4088848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_ships_have_canons/pseuds/my_ships_have_canons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Background:<br/>The story is set in November, 5 years after Haruka and Makoto’s graduation from high school. Haru has graduated from a university with a master’s degree in culinary arts, and, after combining his savings with a portion of Makoto’s earnings, has purchased and remodeled a seaside restaurant, which he has just recently opened. Haru and Makoto’s childhood friend, Aki Yazaki, works as a waitress at Haru’s restaurant.<br/>After receiving an associate’s degree in health services/paramedical technologies, Makoto has been working as the active captain of the town’s main firefighting brigade for 3 years. His unit works closely with the police department, and he is in frequent contact with the head of police, Rin Matsuoka, and his chief lieutenant, Sosuke Yamazaki.  Makoto has saved many lives and is a popular local hero.<br/>Haru and Makoto live together in a seaside cottage located exactly halfway between the firehouse and the restaurant. They have lived there for 5 years, and hope to live there for many more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Future Fish: Fireman Makoto

“Nanase-san?”

Haru looked up from the pots soaking in the sink to see a hesitant Aki staring back at him. Several of his other employees were standing behind her with expectant expressions.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Um, well, it’s almost 8:00, and I was wondering if we were allowed to leave for the night yet?”

Haru glanced over at the dolphin-shaped clock on the wall—7:50. It had only been a week since the grand opening of his restaurant; he wasn’t used to the work schedule yet, and this wasn’t the first time that Aki had to be the one to declare the end of the work day.

He sighed.

_When will I get used to this?_

Haru looked back at Aki and gave a quick nod.

“Sorry. I didn’t realize what time it was. You’re dismissed.”

Aki and her coworkers smiled brightly at their boss.

“Thank you, Nanase-san!” Aki said, playing her part as her coworkers’ spokesperson.

Just as they were about to leave, Haru called out to them.

“Ah, I almost forgot—the Saba Shack will be closed tomorrow, so you all have the day off.”

The employees looked at each other in confusion. Naturally, Aki spoke up first.

“Eh? Why will it be closed? All the renovations have been finished, and tomorrow isn’t a holiday, is it?”

Haru looked at Aki with a serious expression and said, “Tomorrow is November 17th. I’m taking the day off, and I want the restaurant to be closed during that time.”

Aki gave a small, knowing smile. It was obvious from their expressions that the other workers didn’t understand, but Aki knew full well why Haru had to take the day off. She had gone to the same elementary school and swimming club as Haru and knew that he had a very important birthday to celebrate.

“Ah… understood. Good night, Nanase-san! Make sure to say that ‘Zaki-chan wishes you well,’ ok?” Aki replied as she left the building.

One by one, the other workers filed out behind her until only Haru was left. He looked over at the clock—7:57. He then returned to the pots in the sink and scrubbed them clean while mulling over Aki’s words.

_Zaki-chan, huh..?  
_

* * *

 

8:30.

Haru had just finished cleaning the last of the tables and took a second to admire his work. He surveyed his beloved Saba Shack with a sense of pride. A small but cozy restaurant adorned with the peculiar combination of a dolphin motif on the walls and ceiling, orca-themed dishware, and an almost mackerel-exclusive menu. Despite the limited entrée choices and its recent opening, Haru’s Saba Shack was quite popular and earned him more money than he’d ever thought possible for a single week. Haru’s cooking was exceptional, but much of his publicity was due to the advertising of a certain firefighter captain’s brigade. Haru smiled at the thought.

_I’m finally doing something for us. For **him** …_

Haru left the restaurant in a particularly good mood and made his way home.

* * *

 

He opened the door to the house and was greeted by the familiar rub of fur across his shin.

“Move, Pūru,” Haru snapped, more out of habit than of actual annoyance. The calico reluctantly agreed, but sat by her food bowl in hopeful anticipation.

Haru sighed.

“You’re not my cat. I don’t have to feed you.” Pūru meowed her dissent. She looked straight at Haru with a piercing gaze, made poignant by the contrast between her blue left eye and her green right eye. Haru looked away. Whenever Pūru gave him that look, he couldn’t help but think of the thoughtful gaze of a certain green-eyed man. It was a look that sought to peer into Haru’s thoughts, to reach into the deepest parts of his soul. He didn’t want that look to come from anyone but that green-eyed man, and especially not from a cat. He ignored Pūru’s protests and entered the living room.

Haru noticed two small envelopes on the table; one was yellow and riddled with rockhopper penguin stickers, and the other was purple with a single butterfly sticker in the center. He didn’t have to look at the return addresses to know who they were from.

_Nagisa and Rei…_

It had been a while since Haru had seen them. The two had been inseparable from the time that Nagisa persuaded Rei to join the swim club, and Haru was not the least bit surprised that they were inseparable still.

Despite his small stature, Nagisa was an astronaut for JAXA; he had gone to the moon several times on construction missions and always came back complaining about the utter lack of alien life. Rei was a JAXA scientist who worked on improving the quality of the rocket fuel used for launches; his observations and insight were considered invaluable tools to JAXA, and his innovations helped to ensure that astronauts like Nagisa always came home safely. Haru was glad that the two had found a way to work so closely together, but he was also a little jealous.

_I wish I could work with **him** like that… _

* * *

 

At that moment, Haru heard the sound of rushing water.

_Upstairs… the bath?_

He looked around the living room.

_But his bag isn’t here… neither are his shoes..?_

Haru looked at the envelopes on the table.

_Ah, I should have realized._

Haru went upstairs, peering into the bedroom before going to check the bathroom. What he saw gave him a sense of unease. Firefighting gear—heavy-duty boots, thick pants attached to reflective suspenders, a double-layered jacket, thick fireproof gloves, and a transition-lensed helmet—lay strewn across the floor in no particular arrangement. Each article of clothing was caked with soot and ash, and Haru could see some tears in the jacket’s sleeves.

_He never brings his gear home from work. He was in a hurry._

He left the bedroom just in time to hear a sudden yelp from the bathroom. Haru quickened his pace and arrived at the bathroom door. As much as he would’ve liked to rush in and see what the problem was, Haru would never walk in on his partner in the bath; it had happened to him a number of times since his days at Iwatobi High, and he knew just how unpleasant it could be. Instead, he firmly knocked on the door. The locking mechanism on the knob wasn’t pushed in, so Haru could tell that the door was unlocked.

_Just how much of a hurry was he in?_

* * *

 

“Makoto?” Haru asked, his voice raising slightly at the last syllable.

He put his hand on the doorknob.

“Ah, Haru!” was the reply. “Do you need to use the bathroom?”

“Not really. Can I come in?” 

“Uhh… no, not right now. Please wait outside for a little, ok?” Makoto answered.

“Why?” Haru inquired, a faint tone of concern in his voice.

“Just wait outside for a while, Haru,” Makoto pleaded. “I’m almost done.”

Haru frowned. He didn’t like this at all; Makoto never acted like this unless he was trying to hide something from Haru.

_Did something happen at work?_

Then his thoughts traveled down a darker path. He thought of the firefighting gear in the bedroom and of Makoto’s yelp. Suddenly, it hit him.

_He must be injured..!_

Haru turned the doorknob.

“Makoto,” he said coolly. “I’m coming in.”

“Ah! Haru!”

Makoto was soaking in the tub, so Haru couldn’t see the lower half of his body, but wide sections of Makoto’s abs and back were red where skin was raw. His forearms bore light scarring, but it looked painful nonetheless. Parts of his hair were very dark where soot had settled in, and a few ends looked as if they had been singed off by flames. The water flowing into the tub was clear, but the water inside of the tub was dark, polluted by a mixture of blood, sweat, and ashes. Haru’s eyes widened at the sight, and his heart plummeted into his stomach. He suddenly felt heavy and dizzy at the same time, and it took all of his willpower to stay standing.

* * *

 

“Haru…” Makoto said, the guilt in his voice palpable. “I told you to wait outside…”

Haru stood almost completely still, his body tense and rigid. Makoto could sense his unease and dealt with it in the only way he knew how. He gave Haru that look. The look that connected them on a level beyond words. The look that told Makoto the things that Haru wouldn’t say. But despite his best efforts, Haru’s eyes weren’t feeling very talkative at the moment, and Makoto couldn’t determine what was going on inside his head.

He sighed and looked away. This wasn’t about Haru, and Makoto knew that what Haru wanted right now was an explanation, so he started talking.

“There was a fire in the news station across the street from the police station, the one where Gou-kun works. All of the emergency service departments—the firefighter squads, the police force, the EMTs—were short-handed today due to the need for additional department support in the next town over. The only fire squads available were mine and the fourth division brigade, headed by Uozumi-kun and Minami-kun; but the fourth division brigade was called out to another site, so my team had to take care of this incident on our own…”

* * *

 

* * *

 

“Tachibana-san! Slow down!”

“Taichou! This speed is dangerous!”

“Tachibana-kun!”

Makoto could hear his team members’ pleas, but he couldn’t slow down. The report stated that the news station on the other side of town was on fire. If he didn’t hurry, nearby buildings could get caught in the blaze.

_Nearby buildings…_

_Like the police station…_

He stepped on the accelerator.

_A left turn at the next intersection, a right turn at the one after, then straight ahead for three blocks…_

His foot pushed down on the gas pedal until it was at its absolute limit.

_I’m almost there…_

Left.

_Rin._

Right.

_Gou-kun._

Straight.

_Yamazaki-kun._

_Please be alright._

Despite the speed of the vehicle, Makoto was able to park smoothly in front of the news station. His squad sighed in relief. Their captain had always been one to use his full strength in all of his endeavors, and driving the fire truck was no exception. The news station was alight, and the surrounding buildings were bathed in the glow of the growing flames. Makoto could see the building beginning to concave slightly. He exited the vehicle, and his squad followed suit.

Iwatobi’s first division fire brigade immediately got to work. Though there were only four of them, the other members of Makoto’s team quickly prepared the necessary emergency equipment—the hoses, the oxygen tanks, and the axes—and awaited their captain’s instructions.

Meanwhile, Makoto interrogated employees of the station who had escaped to try to figure out what the situation was. The fire had apparently started during the recording of head anchor Gou Matsuoka’s early evening report. One of the interns at the station had accidentally disabled the primary circuit breaker, and subsequently overloaded the main electrical circuit when adjusting the lighting fixtures. Because it was the main circuit and the breaker was offline, its blowout caused a chain reaction of sorts, and the auxiliary circuits blew out as well. This resulted in a dangerous electrical fire that was spreading at an alarming pace. Almost all of the workers were able to successfully evacuate in time with the exception of Miss Matsuoka and her crew, a total of five people.

_Five civilians and five firefighters…We actually have a chance._

_But an electrical fire…_

Makoto thanked them for the information and started to make his way back to the truck when he was stopped by a familiar face. The police lieutenant had a dark look in his eyes, and his mouth was set in a thin line.

“Tachibana-kun, you need to get in there immediately. Rin heard Gou-chan screaming and charged inside… I haven’t heard either of their voices since. I tried to stop him, but he just…”

Sōsuke trailed off, and his eyes shifted to the ground. He was very pale, and his expression was one of overwhelming dread.

“Understood, Yamazaki-kun. Please take a few other officers and assess the civilians’ conditions. Take the wounded to a separate area and wait for the EMTs to arrive. In addition, please establish a police barricade around this area, and kindly ask any bystanders and those that aren’t injured to leave the area for the time being. We can’t take any risks with a fire of this nature and magnitude.” Makoto spoke calmly and with authority, and it worked towards calming Sōsuke’s nerves.

“Got it. Thank you, Tachibana-kun,” Sōsuke replied. He then ran off to direct his fellow officers and began giving out orders left and right.

Makoto returned to the truck as quickly as he could and addressed his team.

“Everyone! Our time is limited—the station’s infrastructure won’t hold for much longer, and we’re dealing with an electrical fire. Please refrain from using the hoses as they will only conduct the flames; do not use the axes either, as that may result in electrical shocks. As far as we know, there are six civilians in the building at the moment. If you manage to rescue any of these civilians, please do not attempt to find the others; make saving that person the priority. Once they are safely evacuated, you may reenter the building, but only if it appears safe to do so. Ensure that you are properly equipped, and proceed with caution. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” was the emphatic answer.

With that, Makoto and his brigade ran towards the building.

* * *

 

Makoto had been a firefighter for three years and had seen his fair share of large fires, but this one was monstrous. When he entered the building, Makoto felt a wave of heat that temporarily overwhelmed him and made him stagger.

_Ugh…it’s almost too much…_

_But I have to find them._

The inside of the station was a wreck—pillars supporting the ceiling had collapsed and created rubble on the floor. Tiles from the ceiling had fallen and left exposed wires hanging overhead; sparks from those wires fueled flames on the rubble, which led to the collapse of more pillars. To make matters worse, the air was thick with smoke; Makoto was safe with his oxygen tank and protective headgear, but it was still difficult for him to see what was ahead. The situation made it extremely difficult to navigate through the building, and even an experienced professional like Makoto could only move so fast.

“RIN? GOU?” Makoto yelled. “ARE YOU IN HERE? ANSWER IF YOU CAN HEAR ME!”

Makoto knew that it would be dangerous for them to answer and risk inhaling the smoke, but they were running out of time.

Suddenly, a faint voice rose among the smoke.

“ma…ko…to…”

“RIN! RIN, IS THAT YOU? WHERE ARE YOU?” Makoto shouted.

Instead of an answer, Makoto heard his friend begin coughing heavily. Rin was nearby. Makoto moved in the direction of the sound.

“RIN! I’M HERE!”

Makoto finally found them. Rin was crouching in a doorway, holding an unconscious Gou in his arms, using his body to shield her from the flames. He was trembling and looked up at Makoto with a terrified expression. Although they were both covered in soot and Rin was on the verge of losing consciousness, they appeared to be largely unharmed.

_Thank goodness..!_

But this was a problem. If Rin lost consciousness, Makoto wouldn’t be able to carry the both of them in these conditions. He wouldn’t be able to save them. Unwilling to accept that, Makoto lay down on his stomach and motioned for Rin to do the same. He knew that the closer they were to the ground, the less smoke there would be. After carefully placing Gou down on a safe spot on the floor, Rin lay on his stomach. Makoto took off his helmet and Rin’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Makoto…what… ?” Rin choked out.

Makoto was immediately more aware of the heat and the smoke without his helmet on. It was stifling.

“Rin, my oxygen tank is attached to that helmet. Put it on, now,” Makoto ordered.

Rin stared at Makoto in disbelief for a moment before nodding slightly and taking the helmet. Rin put on the helmet, and Makoto could see the difference it made; once the threat of the heat and smoke was reduced, his expression became more focused, and his eyes settled on Makoto, awaiting his instructions. But instead of saying anything, Makoto simply took the oxygen tank off of his back and helped Rin fasten it to his uniform. Then he started to take off his coat, but Rin stopped him.

“Makoto! What are you doing?”

“I’m going to need you… to carry Gou out of here…To do that, you’ll need something… to cover her and yourself with. Take my jacket…and drape it over yourselves...” Makoto answered. He was starting to feel the effects of the smoke, but refused to give up just yet. He took off his jacket and handed it to Rin.

“When you’re ready… I’ll lead you out of here,” Makoto directed. “I’ll try to… clear a path for us.”

“Makoto…” Rin said, in awe of his friend’s bravery and reliability. “Got it.”

They stood up. Rin lifted Gou off of the ground and held her close to his chest. Makoto helped him drape the jacket over his shoulders; because Makoto’s shoulders were so much broader than Rin’s were, the jacket provided more than ample protection against the flames. Once Rin was prepared, Makoto began moving back in the direction he came from. Luckily for them, the path was mostly clear.

Or so they thought.

* * *

 

Makoto, Rin, and Gou were ten meters from the exit when one of a firefighter’s worst possible scenarios was realized: a pillar supporting the ceiling near the door collapsed and lay perpendicular to the floor. The obstruction was quickly engulfed in flames.

“Goddammit!” Rin screamed in frustration. “We’re so close to getting out of here!”

Makoto stared at the obstacle.

_There has to be another way…_

He looked around and noticed a window to their left. It wasn’t too far, but there were a few barriers that he would have to clear by hand.

_That’s it..!_

“…Rin..! Follow me..!” Makoto breathed. He stumbled as quickly as he could to the window. Some burning planks of wood lay in front of it; he estimated there to be about four. Since he still had his gloves on, Makoto didn’t hesitate to move them. His hands were spared, but his forearms were burned with each plank he moved. By the time Rin caught up to him, Makoto had cleared the path to the window. With a swift kick, he shattered the glass, then removed the remaining shards with his gloved hands.

“Now…Rin…! Go!” Makoto choked out.

Rin climbed the windowsill, Gou in tow, and safely exited the building.

“RIN! GOU-CHAN!” Makoto could hear Sōsuke’s shouts, and made his way towards the windowsill.

Just as Makoto was about to climb onto it, a tile fell from the ceiling and hit him square on the back. With a pained grunt, he collapsed onto the ground, hitting rubble. Makoto reached out to nowhere in particular for a short moment before his arm fell back to the floor.

"Haru…ka…"

_Haru is waiting for me._

Makoto lay on the ground.

_I have to get up._

He tried to lift himself up, but the burns on his forearms made it difficult to support his weight.

_I have to go home to Haru._

Powered by the sheer force of his will, Makoto somehow found the strength to get back on his feet again. He staggered to the windowsill and used his last ounce of strength to haul himself over it. He hit the sidewalk with a thump, but retained consciousness.

* * *

 

“Tachibana-kun!” Sōsuke called out to him while running towards him. He stooped down next to Makoto, took an arm over his shoulder, and helped Makoto walk over to where the injured were being treated by EMTs. He had done his duty, and Makoto was very grateful for it.

“Thank you, Yamazaki-kun…” Makoto said faintly.

Sōsuke looked at him and gave a small smile.

“Thank you, Tachibana-kun. For saving Rin and Gou-chan,” Sōsuke replied.

Sōsuke helped Makoto get settled, then excused himself to check on Rin and Gou.

Because there were only five EMTs that worked on a first-come, first-serve basis and about twenty injured persons, Makoto had to wait a while before receiving treatment. While he waited, he called his squad over for a report. They told him that all the civilians were saved with no casualties and no fatal injuries. Makoto was glad to hear it. After ordering them to file a full incident report with Sōsuke as Rin was incapacitated, Makoto gave them an early dismissal with a few words of praise for a job well done, and they left him to his devices.

He looked down at his shirt and saw tears in the fabric and numerous blood stains. He sighed.

_I wonder what Haru will think of this…_

After some time, an EMT came over and treated Makoto’s wounds with a disinfectant and wrapped them in bandages. He was told that his injuries weren’t serious, and that they wouldn’t take long to heal with proper cleaning and maintenance, but he should take off from work for at least two days. Makoto thanked the technician for his help, and left. He walked over to where Rin, Gou, and Sōsuke were. Rin appeared shaken but otherwise fine, and Gou had regained consciousness and showed no signs of injury.

“Yo! Makoto!” Rin said with a wide grin on his face; the grin suddenly changed into a nervous blush as Rin tried to continue his thought. “Uhh…I just wanted to say thank you. You put your own safety at risk to save me and Gou, and I don’t think I can thank you enough for that. You really came through for us, Makoto.”

“Thank you, Makoto-senpai!” Gou beamed. “You really are amazing!”

Makoto flushed in embarrassment.

“Ah, uh… it was nothing, really. I’m just doing my job,” he replied.

“Tachibana-kun,” Sōsuke began. “Do you need a ride home? I’m already driving Rin and Gou-chan, so it wouldn’t be any trouble.”

Makoto smiled.

“Yes, I would appreciate that! Thank you very much!”

* * *

 

Makoto waved as Sōsuke, Rin, and Gou drove away.

_I’m so glad to be home._

Makoto checked the mailbox and found two envelopes inside, one yellow and one purple. He smiled.

_Nagisa and Rei…_

When he opened the door, his beloved calico Pūru rubbed up against his shins. Ordinarily, Makoto would take this time to pick Pūru up and spoil her, but now was not one of those times.

He looked at the clock—7:57.

He glanced over at the mirror and almost laughed about how filthy he looked covered in soot and ashes.

_I have to clean up before Haru gets home..._

_I don’t want him to see me like this._

Makoto placed the envelopes on the living room table, then made his way upstairs, carrying his gear in his arms.

* * *

 

* * *

 

“So in the end, there were no casualties, and almost everyone made it out unscathed,” Makoto finished.

Haru regarded him with a blank expression, and Makoto frowned. This was one of those rare instances where he really had no idea what Haru was thinking or how he’d react.

“Haru..?”

“…You’re always doing this,” Haru said bitterly. “You’re always putting others before yourself and saying things like, ‘It’s fine,’ or ‘I’m happy to help.’ And then things like this happen.”

Makoto knit his brows in confusion.

“Haru, I’m a firefighter. It’s my job to protect others and make sure that nothing happens to them,” Makoto stated, a sad smile on his lips. “It’s in my job description to take home a few cuts and bruises now and then. You know that.”

“But half of your arms? Your abs and your back? Makoto, it’s in your job description to make sure that nothing happens to you, either!” Haru replied heatedly.

Makoto was taken aback by how strongly Haru felt about this, and Haru took a moment to calm down before continuing in a tone so hushed that it was almost a whisper.

“…You can be so stupidly selfless sometimes, Makoto. I…” Haru trailed off.

Makoto couldn’t help but smile despite himself. Haru was such an honest person, and Makoto loved it. He reached out and took one of Haru’s hands in both of his.

“Haruka… you know that I love you, right?” Makoto offered gently.

He planted light kisses on each of Haru’s knuckles and brushed Haru’s hand up against his cheek. Despite how long they’d known each other, it was rare for Makoto to use Haruka’s full first name; Makoto had made it a point to use it sparingly and only did so when he really needed to get through to Haru. Realizing this, Haru’s eyes widened and his cheeks became a dark shade of pink. Makoto’s response to this was to gaze into Haru’s eyes with a loving expression that Haru couldn’t get enough of.

“I love you so much. You’re always on my mind, and I always think to myself, ‘I have to go home to Haru, no matter what happens,’” Makoto continued.

Of course Haru knew that Makoto loved him, but whenever Makoto said it so sincerely, so lovingly, Haru couldn’t help but be at a loss for words.

Makoto had this unexplainable power over him—one that made his heart race and his face flush—and Haru was always amazed by it.

“I can’t promise that I won’t risk my well-being for the sake of others, but I can promise that I would never die for anyone but you.”

Haru’s vision blurred, and he quickly blinked away the blurriness.

“Makoto..!” he said softly.

He fell to his knees beside the tub and gripped Makoto’s hands tighter. A few tears leaked from Haru’s eyes, and Makoto’s heart ached at the sight. He let go of Haru’s hand, put his hands on Haru’s cheeks, and leaned in for a delicate kiss. Haru was surprised at first, but after a moment, closed his eyes and sunk into the kiss.

They stayed there for a moment, then Makoto gradually moved away to get some air. Haru stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to come back. When Haru got tired of waiting, he wrapped his arms around Makoto’s neck and brought him in for a deep, passionate kiss. Makoto let out a soft chuckle, only for Haru to swallow it. Haru was kissing him with such passion, such feeling, and it made Makoto feel lighter than air.

With each passing second, Haru was getting more intense. A lick, a nip here, a slide of the tongue there; Makoto knew that despite his typical projection of being cool and level-headed, Haru was a very passionate lover. It was one of the many reasons Makoto loved him.

Haru was so immersed in the moment that he slowly slid his hand down from Makoto’s neck and started to trace a line with his fingertips down Makoto’s back. When he reached the area where Makoto was injured, Makoto winced slightly, and Haru was brought back to his senses. He jerked his hand away from Makoto’s back and stopped kissing him.

“Ah! Makoto, I’m sorry! I lost it for a moment there,” Haru said, averting his gaze from Makoto. It did hurt to be touched there, but Makoto didn’t want Haru to feel guilty; Makoto lifted Haruka’s chin up and kissed him softly.

“It’s ok, Haru. You didn’t hurt me. I was just surprised, that’s all.”

Haru frowned slightly, but decided to feign ignorance and lightly pecked Makoto’s cheek. Makoto’s skin tasted faintly of smoke, and Haru was reminded of his current state. He stood up.

“Ok,” Haru replied. “Clean yourself up. I’ll be waiting in our room when you’re finished.”

Haru turned to leave, and Makoto grinned happily.

“Ok, Haru-chan~”

At this, Haru turned his head back so that Makoto could see his profile and smirked.

Haru then left Makoto to finish his bath, taking care of his firefighting gear and beloved calico in the meanwhile.

* * *

 

Makoto didn’t realize how tired he was until he finished cleaning up. He wrapped a towel around his waist and made his way to the bedroom. Haru was lying in bed, looking out the window; on Makoto’s side of the bed was a comfortable outfit—boxers and a T-shirt—that Haru had laid out for him and some cotton bandages. Makoto smiled.

“Haru? Can you help me wrap the bandages?” Makoto asked.

Haru rolled over to Makoto’s side of the bed, looking completely drained as well.

“Yeah,” he answered sleepily. “Sit down.”

Makoto did as he was told and sat patiently as Haru swiftly but carefully wrapped his wounds, planting gentle kisses here and there as he did so. Makoto shuddered in delight with each kiss.

“Done,” Haru said after a few minutes.

“Thank you, Haru,” Makoto beamed. He kissed Haru on the cheek one more time before letting out a yawn. Haru yawned too.

“Let’s go to sleep,” Haru said, turning out the lights. He snuggled up next to Makoto, careful to avoid the bandaged areas of his midsection. Makoto draped an arm over Haru and rested his forehead against Haru’s.

Just before they fell asleep, Haru whispered: “Tomorrow will be a better day, Makoto…I promise.”


	2. Future Fish: Chef Haruka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Background:  
> After returning home from a satisfying day of work at the Saba Shack, Haru finds Makoto in a grisly state. Makoto recounts the day’s happenings (how he became injured while rescuing Rin and Gou from a deadly fire) to a horrified Haru. Haru is less than pleased with the story and expresses his dismay and concern to Makoto, who responds by offering reassuring and loving words that manage to calm Haru’s immediate worries. After a short, tender exchange, Haru leaves Makoto to address his injuries. Both thoroughly exhausted, Haru and Makoto fall asleep in a warm embrace, with Haru promising Makoto “a better day.”  
> It is now November 17th, Makoto’s 23rd birthday. Neither Haru nor Makoto will be going to work today, and Haru intends to keep his promise to Makoto.

“…Ha…ru…”

Haru awoke to the sound of his name and found himself tangled in the embrace of a sleeping Makoto. He had made it a point to avoid sleeping too close to Makoto for fear of irritating his injuries, yet here he was, being held tight against Makoto’s chest; there was barely any room between their bodies, and despite the fact that it was a little too hot, Haru didn’t want to move an inch.

“Mmm…aru…” Makoto’s hand slowly lowered from the back of Haru’s neck to his lower back. His expression was gentle and a small smile graced his features.

_Is he dreaming about me..?_

Haru raised one hand and gently stroked his fingers through Makoto’s hair. His hair, Haru noted, looked almost normal despite what happened yesterday. Anyone else wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference, but Haru could see exactly where the flames had singed some of the ends.

“…ha…HARU! NO!”

Haru jerked back in surprise. Makoto’s expression transitioned from peaceful to pained as he hugged Haru close to him. His eyes were tightly shut and his brows were furrowed, almost as if he couldn’t bear to look at whatever was happening in front of him.

_He’s never had nightmares before…_

“Haru, please… get out…”

Haru realized that Makoto must be having a nightmare about a fire. He hastily (but gently) shifted himself into a sitting position beside Makoto and began to shake Makoto’s shoulders.

“Makoto… Makoto!”

Makoto stirred slowly and opened his eyes.

“Haru…ka?”

Haru sat back and sighed in relief.

“Are you alright?”

Makoto rubbed his eyes and looked at Haru with a dead expression. It was almost as if he’d come back from hell itself.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

They sat quietly for a few minutes before Haru broke the silence.

“Have you calmed down a bit?”

“Yeah,” Makoto replied, burying his face in his hands and shaking slightly. It upset Haru to see Makoto like this, and he didn’t want to make the situation any worse, but he knew he had to ask:

“What were you dreaming about?”

Makoto lowered his hands and stared wearily at the sheets in front of him.

“I dreamt that the Saba Shack caught fire. I ran in to save a customer, but there was no one there, and I got trapped under a fallen pillar. Then suddenly, _you_ came in to save _me_ , and you-”

Haru knew what came next and didn’t want Makoto to have to say any more. He reached out to grab one of Makoto’s hands and held it firmly.

“But none of that happened; I’m right here, next to you.”

Makoto squeezed Haru’s hand and smiled at Haru in his usual calm way. His features came back to life, and Haru was relieved.

“Yeah, you are.”

Makoto tried to turn so that he was facing Haru, but the movement strained his back and he let out a small grunt. Haru frowned.

“Let me change the bandages and put some pain-relieving cream on your burns.”

“That would help a lot, thank you,” Makoto replied.

Haru knew that the bandages would be slightly stuck to Makoto’s skin, and he worked quickly so as to make the sting of replacing them as short-lived as possible. It seemed as though Haru winced more than Makoto each time he replaced a bandage, as if he felt the sting of it himself. Despite how hurriedly he worked, Haru was careful, and Makoto was grateful for it.

* * *

 

When Haru was finished, he addressed Makoto in a serious tone:

“Your chest is a lot better, but your back still looks pretty bad. You should stay in bed and rest for a while longer.”

“Eh? Do you really think sleeping more will help?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah. Go back to sleep, and I’ll go downstairs to make breakfast. I’ll wake you up when I’m finished.”

Makoto looked at the clock on the nightstand- 6:47. It wasn’t too early or too late in the day yet, so Makoto decided to follow Haru’s instructions. He adjusted the pillows behind him and sat back, flashing a wide grin at Haru.

“Ok, Haru- I’ll see you later,” Makoto said cheerfully.

Haru, wondering what that bright grin tasted like, brought his lips to Makoto’s and kissed him gently.

_It’s sweet, just like I thought,_ Haru said to himself.

Makoto’s ears went pink and his face warmed up. It wasn’t like Haru had never done something like this (casually kissed him) before, but he seemed to do it whenever Makoto was least expecting it. Haru always chose to act in the little moments- while Makoto was playing with Pūru, while he was reading a book, while he was cooking, or even while he was lying blissfully content right after sex- and Makoto wouldn’t have it any other way. He giggled as Haru moved away from him.

“What is it?” Haru asked.

“Nothing, Haru-chan~ You’re just cute, as always,” Makoto replied.

Haru turned away to hide a blush.

“Not really,” Haru mumbled.

Here he was, trying to catch Makoto off-guard and sweep him off his feet, and yet here he was, the one feeling swept away. As if reading Haru’s thoughts, Makoto moved closer to Haru and rested his forehead against his. He lightly caressed Haru’s face with one hand and traced Haru’s lips with his thumb.

“ _Yes_ really,” Makoto corrected. “You’re _very_ cute, especially when you’re embarrassed.”

Raising an eyebrow at Makoto’s flawed logic, Haru took Makoto’s hand from his face and interlocked their fingers. He brought his lips to Makoto’s again, this time more forcefully. Makoto let Haru’s tongue into his mouth and felt sparks as Haru reached for the places that made Makoto weak. Makoto let go of Haru’s hand and brought his hands to Haru’s thighs and stroked smooth skin back and forth deliberately in the way that Haru liked. After several moments, he traced his fingertips leisurely over Haru’s inner thighs and Haru started slightly.

Haru broke the kiss and looked at Makoto as if asking him a question. In answer, Makoto looked Haru straight in the eye, and the air suddenly became charged with electricity. An unspoken conversation took place between them, and Haru’s eyes widened.

_If we do that now, I won’t be able to-_

Either not registering what Haru’s change in expression meant or purposefully choosing to ignore it, Makoto spoke bluntly in a rough tone:

“Haru, it’s my birthday, and I want my present now.”

Although Makoto appeared outwardly wishy-washy and compliant, Haru was one of the few people who knew that he was extremely good at getting what he wanted on the rare occasion that he wanted something. There were few things that turned Haru on more than Makoto’s assertive side, and he felt himself getting aroused at the possibility of giving in to something that they both wanted badly right now; however, considering the circumstances, Haru was hesitant to acquiesce.

“I want you in my _mouth_ , Haru,” Makoto continued.

“Oh… Like _this_?”

Haru took Makoto’s lower lip in his mouth and sucked on it. He wrapped his arms around Makoto’s neck and pulled him closer. Makoto moaned loudly and in that moment, Haru went to war with himself. It was his logic vs. his desire, and although Haru knew logic had to win, he found himself cheering louder and louder for desire as Makoto moved his hands from Haru’s thighs and squeezed at his ass.

_Damn it, I really **can’t** …_ Haru convinced himself. _Besides, it’ll be much better later after everything else._

Haru let go of Makoto’s lip and increased the space between them. He was grateful that they hadn’t touched each other more- if that were the case, he wouldn’t have been able to bring himself to leave. Makoto, sensing Haru’s intentions, spoke in a sultry tone in an attempt to persuade him:

“You know that wasn’t what I meant, right, Haru-chan?”

“Ah… sorry. I think we should save _that_ for later,” Haru responded calmly.

“Saving the best for last, huh? Must be something special,” Makoto replied, a little disappointed but still overwhelmingly optimistic. “I can deal with that.”

Haru smirked.

“Of course.”

* * *

 

Haru left Makoto in their room and went downstairs. He fed Pūru, then immediately got to work. He told Makoto that he’d be busy cooking breakfast, but there was so much more to do. He unlocked his phone and read through a litany of text messages confirming the details of the plans that they had set together weeks in advance:

 

**Good morning, Haru! We’re set to go here. =) =)**

**Let us know when you’re nearby!**

**-Ran and Ren**

 

**Hey, Haru. Sousuke, Gou, and I are getting set up, but we still need help with a few things.**

**Text me when you’re coming by.**

**-Rin**

 

**Hi Haru! ^o^**

**Coach Sasabe agreed, so Hayato and I are heading over there now~**

**We’ll start setting up as sooonn as we get there, promise! >u< **

**Tell me when you’re coming over! =D**

**-Kisumi~~~**

 

Haru glanced at the table and stared at the decorated envelopes from his friends.

_It’s because of them that I have to work with Kisumi…_ Haru grumbled to himself.

Unfortunately, Nagisa and Rei wouldn’t be coming back to celebrate Makoto’s birthday. They hadn’t explained the exact details to Haru, but he assumed that it had something to do with an upcoming launch.

Whenever Nagisa was preparing to launch, Rei would be sent into an anxious frenzy, running tests upon tests to make sure that all the equipment was safe and checking the shuttle’s stock to make sure that there were sufficient supplies to last the duration of the trip. Nagisa, on the other hand, would be buzzing with excitement and spending extra time in the training rooms to prepare himself even more. Either way, Haru knew that neither of them would be in a position to drop everything and leave right now, and even if one of them was, neither of them would come without the other; that was the way that they did things, and Haru understood and respected that.

_Maybe they’ll explain more in their cards…_

Haru would have to ask Makoto about it later.

* * *

 

7:50.

_I think that’s everything._

Haru looked at the display in front of him with pride. Weeks of planning had resulted in a detailed note with instructions, three envelopes, and an altered map of Iwatobi. Haru packed the envelopes into his bag and left the note and map on the kitchen table beside Makoto’s breakfast and Rei and Nagisa’s envelopes.

_Ok, I think I’m ready._

Haru had some errands to run, and if he wanted everything to go as planned, he would have to leave soon. Although he wouldn’t be seeing Makoto in person for a while, Haru opted not to say goodbye to him upstairs in anticipation of being methodically seduced by Makoto’s perfect bedroom eyes. Instead he sent Makoto a deliberately simple text:

 

**We are out of cat litter. I’m going out to buy more. See you later.**

**-Haru**

 

Haru knew that Makoto would see right through him, but since the intention was to be found out eventually, Haru didn’t really care. He looked everything over once more to make sure that nothing was missing, then, wholly satisfied, stepped out the front door and locked it behind him.

* * *

 

9:30.

Makoto hadn’t meant to fall asleep considering how he was _very_ awake after his earlier conversation with Haru, but somehow, he had drifted off anyway. He slowly came back to consciousness as the sound of chirping birds filtered through the window.

Makoto lazily opened his eyes and glanced around the room as if he were searching for something.

_Didn’t Haru say he would wake me up..?_

Makoto found his phone and squinted at the bright screen in the dim morning light. Immediately seeing past the literal meaning of the message, he sighed and gave a slight smile.

_He is a **terrible** liar- he could’ve at least **tried** to convince me. I wonder where he actually went…_

Makoto left the bedroom and completed most of his morning routine at a leisurely pace. Although he was feeling considerably better after getting more rest, he was still quite sore and endeavored to avoid any fast movement as much as possible. More than anything else, he was afraid of his wounds opening up again. If they did, he wouldn’t be able to go back to work for a long time, and he would feel like a burden to Haru and to himself. Consequently, he moved carefully even when performing the simplest tasks.

When Makoto finally arrived downstairs (clean, shaven, and fully dressed), it was 10:00. He sat at the kitchen table and read the note attached to his breakfast:

 

**Makoto,**

**I didn’t want your food to be cold when you came to eat it, so I put it on a hot plate and covered it.**

**Don’t forget to turn it off before you start eating.**

**-Haru**

 

Makoto uncovered the plate and turned the dial on the hot plate from LOW to OFF. He wouldn’t have minded eating it cold, as Haru’s cooking was always delicious no matter what, but he appreciated Haru’s forethought.

Makoto waited until he finished eating to consider the map and folded note labeled **READ WITH MAP** sitting on the table. He knew that this had something to do with whatever Haru had planned for his birthday, but what exactly that _was_ , he could not figure out. However, instead of reading this mysterious note from his lover, his hands settled on the stickered envelopes next to it.

_Well, it seems like I’ve got a lot of reading to do- might as well start with these._

With that, Makoto opened Nagisa’s envelope and began to read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait; even though this is a relatively short chapter, a lot has been going on recently.  
> You might be pleased to know that part 3 is well under way, and if all goes according to plan (and that is a big "if"), this should be updated very soon.  
> Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!


	3. Location 1: Familiar Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Background:  
> Haru wakes up to find Makoto having a nightmare; he is shocked, as Makoto has never had nightmares before, but calms his lover down quickly. The two have a short conversation which, um, /escalates/ rather quickly, but ends with Haru asking Makoto to wait until later. Makoto obliges and goes back to sleep, while Haru leaves to follow through on his plan to make Makoto's day perfect. Makoto later awakens to find breakfast prepared by Haru along with a mysterious note and a map; however, he decides to read the letters from Nagisa and Rei first.

_“Mako-chan,_

_**Happy birthday! ~(^o^)/** _

_Rei-chan is worried that you won’t get this on time, so if that does happen, just know that we were thinking of you on the 17th!_

_I’m sorry that we couldn’t visit and deliver our cards in person, but our bosses want us to stay and do more work for our next mission. This mission is very special—I’ll be one of the first people ever to go to Mars!”_

Makoto rubbed his eyes and read over Nagisa’s words.

_Mars?!_

Makoto tried to visualize how far away Mars was and imagine how long it would take Nagisa to get there and come back.

_Nagisa could be gone for… 30 years!_

Although Makoto was disheartened at his (very wrong) calculations, they prompted a line of thought about the future that Makoto had not considered before. He tried to imagine what his life would be like in 30 years.

_30 years… I’ll probably still be in Iwatobi then; I can’t see myself moving anywhere else._

_I think I would be retired at that age—firefighting is a hard job, so I can’t do it forever. But I’d like to think that I could still help out at the firehouse from time to time, advising new recruits and all. …_

_Ah, the twins—Ran and Ren would be all grown up! And Mom and Dad would both be so old! Haha, that’s so weird to think about!_

_…_

_As for Haru…_

_I think he would still work at his restaurant. He loves it so much… He’ll probably work there for as long as he possibly can._

_Haru…_

_Would we… still be living together then? …_

_Would he still…?_

Makoto tried to imagine his life without Haru as his lover, but everything he came up with was extremely depressing. Haru was too important to Makoto, and he had fallen too far in love to go back to being just friends.

Makoto decided to read on.

_“I won’t be leaving for another 18 months, and I’ll only be gone for somewhere between 2 and 3 years.”_

Makoto felt extremely relieved at this revelation. He was still sad that he wouldn’t be able to see Nagisa for the duration of his mission, but 2 to 3 years was a lot better than 30.

_“Even though we still have so much time left before the launch, Rei-chan is so anxious about it! He spends hours and hours in the lab running test after test on the fuel that will be used in the rocket. I think it’s great that he cares so much about the success of the mission, but he should really lighten up and just relax sometimes. I mean, I love Rei the way he is, but, as always, I have to be the one to show him how to have fun~”_

Makoto smiled.

_Looks like Rei’s got his hands full with Nagisa around, haha!_

_“Anyway, we’re planning on visiting you and Haru-chan in 6 months, so be prepared! I know that there will be a lot going on for you then, but I hope that we can still find time to talk and be together just like old times. But until then, do your best, Mako-chan! Fight!!!_

_Nagisa~”_

Makoto wondered about what Nagisa meant by “there will be a lot going on” for him. Iwatobi didn’t have many events, and he couldn’t think of any special visitors coming to the town in the near future. Besides the annual festivals, Makoto concluded that nothing remarkable would be happening 6 months from now.

Deciding not to dwell on it for too long, Makoto opened the purple envelope and looked at Rei’s card. The message was considerably longer than Nagisa’s, but that was typical of Rei, as he had a tendency towards formality.

_“Dear Makoto-senpai, Happy birthday! I hope that you will receive this on or before the 17th— Nagisa-kun waited until the last minute to write his card, so we ended up mailing them right before our mandatory mission preparation session. He’s just as scatterbrained as always, so it seems that I must stay around to help him focus.”_

Makoto laughed. Nagisa and Rei were, for as long as Makoto could remember, an odd pair, but they looked out for each other and brought out the best in each other. Makoto always had a feeling that such a relationship would eventually develop into something more, and Rei’s awkward way of expressing his feelings was somewhat endearing. He read on.

_“We had hoped that this upcoming mission would be one of Nagisa-kun’s typical trips to complete station construction and maintenance on the moon, but it turns out that it’s going to be much bigger than that— Nagisa-kun will be part of JAXA’s first mission to put a man on Mars. I’ve been the primary researcher on this project for a while now, but I never imagined that they would choose Nagisa-kun for it; that’s not to say that Nagisa-kun is not a skilled astronaut, but seeing as how he is now considered one of the leading experts on Project Moon, it hadn’t crossed my mind that there was a possibility of them changing his assignment in the near future._

_Although the launch is scheduled for about eighteen months from now, our seniors at JAXA insist that Nagisa-kun and I remain here for the time being and complete more simulations and perform more tests to create more efficient types of rocket fuel, respectively. I must admit that even though JAXA will be sending only the finest astronauts and technicians on this mission, I am slightly worried for Nagisa-kun; he will be in space for at least twenty-four months, longer than any mission he’s had up until now. It is for this reason that I am determined to do my best in ensuring that the technological and chemical equipment at his disposal will be as useful as possible.”_

Makoto couldn’t help but smile at Rei’s honesty. Rei had always been like that, and Makoto was glad he hadn’t changed over the years.

_To be working so hard on something so difficult... He must love Nagisa very much…_

Makoto continued reading.

_“That being said, Nagisa-kun and I have requested to use some of our vacation time in about six months from now. We look forward to seeing you, Haruka-senpai, and all of our other friends at Iwatobi then. It will surely be a big event, so I apologize in advance on behalf of both myself and Nagisa-kun if we get overly-emotional. Until then, I wish you and Haruka-senpai all the best. Have a wonderful day, and please continue to be safe and happy as you work at the firehouse._

_Sincerely,_

_Ryugazaki Rei”_

_Event…_

_It must be the same thing Nagisa was talking about._

Again, not putting too much thought into it, Makoto came to the conclusion that the two were visiting during a festival.

Now in especially high spirits after receiving his friends’ well-wishes, Makoto decided to look at the map and note from Haru.

The map, although of Iwatobi, did not depict the town in its entirety. After examining it for a few minutes, Makoto determined that it seemed to only show places that were of mutual importance to himself and Haru. He could only assume that Haru was at one of these places, but he wasn’t sure how to figure out which one. He eyed the note and opened it. It contained only two quoted lines in bolded text:

**“Hey, Haru-chan! Why don’t we join the swimming club together?”**

**“There’s no point if you’re not with me!”**

Makoto blushed. He was a bit surprised that Haru had remembered his exact words from so long ago, but it gave him a very warm feeling.

_Haru…_

Knowing what the message was but wanting to confirm it, Makoto referenced the map. The playground was one of the locations marked down, and he knew that Haru intended for him to go there. Wanting to see Haru as soon as possible, Makoto put his keys and phone into his pocket, gave Pūru a quick pat, and left the house.

* * *

 

11:00.

“Onii-chan!”

Makoto arrived at the playground and was greeted by two very familiar faces.

“Ran! Ren!”

Makoto leaned down and embraced the twins; although they were both 15, they were still about 8” shorter than Makoto.

After the initial greetings, birthday wishes, and catching up, Makoto spoke first:

“What a coincidence that I would run into you two here! I was actually looking for Haru…”

Makoto looked around for any signs of Haru, but found none.

“It’s not a coincidence, onii-chan!” Ran said. “Haru asked us to come meet you here!”

Makoto looked pleased. “Oh, that’s nice of him- he must’ve known that I wanted to see you today! I’ll have to thank him later for such a nice surprise.”

Ran and Ren gave each other knowing glances then looked back at Makoto.

“Well… that’s not the only reason he asked us to be here,” Ren said. “He wanted us to give you this.”

Ren handed Makoto a folded note.

“Haru has always been like another big brother to us,” Ran said. “For as long as I can remember, he’s always been a part of our family, and the four of us have always played together and had fun…”

Ran trailed off and looked down. Her face flushed, and Ren gave a sympathetic smile. He knew all too well how hard it was to have to share their time with Makoto with others; it had never been much of an issue when Haru was involved, but if what Haru intended to happen were to happen, he would be taking up a lot more of Makoto’s time very soon.

“If it were anyone else, we probably wouldn’t have liked sharing you very much, onii-chan,” Ren added. “But we can make an exception for Haru— right, Ran?”

Ran nodded. “So hurry up and open that note!”

Makoto regarded his siblings with pride, admiring their maturity towards his relationship with Haru, although not catching on to the subtleties in their words. He then did as he was told; instead of a written message, the note featured a single (extremely-detailed) drawing of a tree that had not yet bloomed. At the base of the tree was a small wall of bricks with words written on them, but it seemed that Haru had not intended to make the words legible.

“He said you would know what it means, but it doesn’t seem to say anything,” Ren said skeptically.

Makoto consulted the map and answered his brother, “Haru wants me to go to the cherry blossom tree by our elementary school.”

Makoto glanced in the direction of the school then looked back at his siblings with a slight hesitation.

Ran giggled at her brother's concern; they weren't kids anymore, so Makoto didn't have to worry about letting them down so much, but the fact that he did was endearing.

“It’s ok,” she said. “You don’t have to stay and talk with us all day, onii-chan!”

“Yeah,” Ren followed. “Go find Haru! You want to see him, right?”

Makoto’s eyes lit up and he smiled in his usual manner.

“Ok then, I’m off! I’ll see you two later, ok?”

“Ok!” the twins replied in unison as Makoto turned to leave.

_…What is all of this leading up to, Haru?_

With that, Makoto started toward the next location.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, it's been months >o


	4. An Unintended Location

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Background:  
> Makoto reads the letters from Nagisa and Rei detailing their current project at work and wishing him a happy birthday. The two allude to a certain “event” occurring in about 6 months from now, but this allusion goes over Makoto’s head. Makoto follows the instructions on Haru’s note and arrives at the playground only to be greeted by his siblings. Makoto is surprised to see them at first, but delighted to find that Haru asked them to be there. After a meaningful conversation (the subtext of which also goes over Makoto’s head), Makoto moves on to the next location—the elementary school.

12:20

As Makoto walked, he felt his chest become heavy in a way that hurt, but thought little of it.

_I’m probably still tired from yesterday. I should hurry up and find Haru so that we can celebrate and then go home together._

He continued walking.

* * *

 

  
12:30.

“Rin? Yamazaki-kun?”

“Hey, Makoto! Happy birthday!”

Makoto walked up to the cherry blossom tree and found Rin and Sousuke standing underneath. The two were dressed in their police uniforms, so Makoto wondered if they were on duty at the moment. When he asked, Rin replied,

“Yeah, but Haru asked us and Gou to come here and wait for you. Sousuke and I decided to patrol this side of town today. We parked our car a few blocks away, and we’ve been waiting here for a while now.”

Makoto looked worried, so Rin quickly added, “Nothing has happened all day, so it’s okay for us to be here.”

Makoto seemed relieved. “Wait, where is Gou right now?”

Sousuke spoke up. “Gou-chan was here earlier, but realized that she forgot something. She went back home to get it and insisted that we stay here and wait in case you showed up,” He frowned slightly. “I could’ve driven her there and back so we’d all be here, yet here we are.”

Rin cracked a smile and kneed Sousuke’s ass playfully. “No need to be a smartass to someone who’s not even here, Sousuke~ Besides, she’ll probably be back soon.”

Sousuke smirked. “It’s true though.”

“Dumbass~” Rin teased as he repeated the action.

“Oi, Rin-“

The two exchanged playful banter for some time while Makoto stood patiently and wore an expression of feigned understanding. Makoto felt as though he were intruding on their usual dynamic, and the awkwardness prompted him to question the pair during a lull in their conversation.

“Rin? I was wondering- why exactly did Haru ask you to come here?”

Rin looked at Makoto and grinned. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded note. “Isn’t it obvious? We’re here to send you to your next location.”

“And wish you well for the coming months,” Sousuke offered. “They will be chaotic for both of you, so we’re here to tell you that we’ll support you if you need us. Right, Rin?”

“Of course! If you or Haru ever need our help or advice on anything, you know where to find us.”

“Uh, ah, right,” Makoto said. “Thank you both!”

Makoto seemed confused, and Rin and Sousuke exchanged a concerned look.

“Makoto? Didn’t the twins tell you? About the event?” Rin asked.

“Now that you mention it, they did say something about an event… Nagisa and Rei did too… But it must be the upcoming festival, right?”

Sousuke stared at Makoto with wide eyes and Rin groaned.

“Don’t tell me that you haven’t realized by now? That Nanase is going to—“

Sousuke stopped as his police walkie went off.

 

_Yamazaki-san. Are you and Matsuoka-san there?_

 

Sousuke pressed a small button on the top of the device and replied.

“Yeah—what is it?”

 

_Armed robbery. Downtown. We’ve got the place surrounded, but they’re holding hostages inside. What are Matsuoka-san’s orders?_

 

Rin took the walkie from Sousuke’s hand and spoke in a sharp, commanding tone.

“I need more information. Can you see how many perps there are? Does it look like any of the hostages might be injured?”

 

_No, sir- all the hostages appear to be fine. It seems like the perps are only using them as collateral to negotiate with us and get away. There are two- one with silver hair and one with orange hair. The one with silver hair is carrying a gun, but the one with orange hair seems to be holding… a boomerang? This whole situation seems-_

 

He handed Sousuke the folded note and looked at Makoto. He gave a wink and mouthed ‘Happy birthday!’ while his subordinate spoke, then turned his back to Makoto and walked away, giving instructions as he went.

Sousuke held the note out to Makoto. “Nanase asked that we give this to you.” He bowed slightly. “I’m sorry that we didn’t get to talk more, Tachibana-kun. I have to go, but enjoy the rest of your day.”

“Thank you, Yamazaki-kun! Good luck!”

With that, Sousuke jogged off to catch up to Rin.

Makoto wondered what Sousuke was going to say about Haru. Was Haru planning an event of some kind?

Makoto looked at the note. The outside read:

 

**Sorry- I lost mine.**

**I couldn’t find yours around the house either.**

 

Makoto opened the note. Inside was a sketch of a dolphin and a clownfish. The clownfish was tiny compared to the dolphin, but they seemed to be swimming together regardless.

_The swim club…_

Makoto was excited to have his next location, but disappointed when he realized that it was probably not the destination of his journey. He appreciated that Haru had set all of this up and had his friends and family meet him along the way, but what he wanted right now, more than anything else, was to hold Haru in his arms.

Although they lived together, Makoto had been putting in a lot of hours at the firehouse lately, and Haru had been swamped with handling the opening of his new restaurant. The two hadn’t had a lot of time alone recently, and it bothered Makoto. Then he came to the conclusion that Haru knew that and was teasing him in a way, “saving the best for last”. He became impatient at the thought, and began to walk towards the swim club, which wasn’t too far from where he was.

* * *

 

 

1:15

Maybe he had been a little too impatient.

_Ah!_

Makoto felt a sharp pain in his chest. He grabbed the area over his heart with one hand and doubled over.

_W-what is this? What’s-_

_Agh!_

Makoto fell on his hands and knees and gasped for air. His face flushed with the effort of catching his breath, and his chest heaved with every attempt.

_I can’t breathe._

_I can’t… breathe..!_

_Someone… help!_

Makoto tried to speak—he felt his lips moving, but the words tumbled silently out of his mouth.

Makoto felt his consciousness ebbing away, but reached for his phone anyway.

1:17

Unlock.

Dialpad.

1-1-

1:18.

Makoto’s phone hit the pavement and he collapsed on top of it.

* * *

 

 

1:20.

Gou walked hurriedly, hoping that she hadn’t missed him. She held in her hand a small gift bag, the contents of which were a handwritten card and a strawberry shortcake she’d bought at the local bakery.

“I’d hate to have to walk back towards the swim club,” she said aloud to no one in particular. “Please let him still be there..!”

Gou turned the corner and saw, not her brother and Sousuke, but a familiar figure lying unconscious on the ground. It took her a moment to register the situation.

“Makoto-senpai?”

* * *

 

 

3:15.

“Done.”

Haru sat back in his chair and looked at the cake in front of him with pride. He’d spent almost three hours working on it, but it was worth the effort. He was worried that Makoto might show up at the restaurant before he’d finished, but that didn’t happen.

_I wonder where he is now…_

Haru took a moment to relax and go over his plans for his Makoto’s birthday. He pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket and reviewed it carefully:

  
• Meet Ran and Ren at the playground. Give instructions and Envelope #1. (check)  
• Meet Rin, Gou, and Yamazaki-kun at the school. Give instructions and Envelope #2. (check)  
• Meet Kisumi and Hayato at the swim club. Give instructions and envelope #3. (check)  
• Head to store and buy supplies. (check)  
• Go to Saba Shack. Bake and decorate cake. Wait for Makoto. (check)  
• Ran and Ren stall Makoto- at least an hour. (check)  
• Rin, Gou, and Yamazaki-kun stall Makoto- 90 minutes. (half-check)  
• Kisumi and Hayato stall Makoto- 30 minutes. ( )

Haru became anxious when he’d received a text from Rin at around 1:00 saying that they hadn’t been able to hold Makoto for long because of work; they had acknowledged beforehand that there was a chance that this would happen, so Haru wasn’t too surprised. To make up for this, Haru texted Kisumi and asked him to stall Makoto for as long as possible, to which Kisumi replied:

 

**Nooo problem!! Hayato and I can definitely do that! ^o^**

**-Kisumi~~~**

 

Haru was reluctant to ask for Kisumi’s help in the first place, but seeing as how Makoto hadn’t arrived at the restaurant yet, he felt grateful as Kisumi seemed to have more than made up for his share of stalling.

_Seems like that guy can get some things right after all…_ Haru thought to himself.

Haru decided to check his phone and see if he’d received the final confirmation text from Kisumi.

 

_(2 new messages: Shigino Kisumi, received at 3:05; Matsuoka Gou, received at 1:45)_

 

Haru thought it was strange that Gou texted him; earlier that morning, they had decided that Rin would be the designated person to text him from their location. Ignoring it for the moment, Haru opened Kisumi’s message.

 

**Haru,**

**Rin sent us the message about Makoto leaving his location at around 1:00. We’ve been waiting here since then, but Makoto hasn’t shown up! ;_; Maybe he stopped somewhere else along the way? =o Then again, the swim club isn’t far from the school at all… Maybe I’m just being paranoid, haha~ Do you know where he might be?**

**-Kisumi~~~**

 

Haru stared at the message and read it over and over.

_There isn’t anywhere interesting nearby… None of our friends live near there._

_Makoto would’ve taken the route that we always walked after school…_

Then Haru opened Gou’s message.

 

**Haruka-senpai! You need to come to the hospital immediately!**

**-Kou**

 

The word “hospital” sent Haru’s mind into turmoil. Without a second thought, Haru grabbed his bag and ran out of the restaurant. Makoto’s birthday cake was still on the table, unlit candles and used frosting bags beside it.

* * *

 

 

Haru stood at the receptionist’s desk, hands balled into fists on the counter. He had been going back and forth with the woman at the desk for several minutes, but nothing he said seemed to bring him any closer to Makoto's side.

“I need to see him immediately.”

The receptionist didn’t look up from her computer screen as she replied,

“I’m sorry, sir. I can’t let anyone into the ICU without Doctor Tadanori’s permission.”

Haru wanted to cry, partly out of fear and sadness, partly out of frustration. A few rooms away, Makoto was seriously _hurt_. Haru wanted, no, _needed_ to make sure that he was going to be ok. He tried his hardest to remain calm.

“Then may I at least speak to this Doctor Tadanori?”

The receptionist looked up and gave Haru an uninterested look.

“You may not. The doctor is busy working on-“

“He may,” a voice said coolly. “Thank you for your concern, but I know this man.”

The receptionist gave a sheepish chuckle. “My apologies, Tadanori-san.”

Haru looked to his right and saw a familiar face, but he couldn’t place where he had seen this person before.

“Nanase Haruka, correct? I’m Tadanori Sera. You may not remember me too well, but I could never forget how your swim club took one of my best runners from the track team, haha!”

Haru felt awkward and regarded Sera with a blank expression. Out of all the people he had ever known...

_It had to be this guy. Great._

“Sorry about that. We needed someone to swim butterfly.”

“That’s all right,” Sera said. “It’s all in the past, and we did fairly well that year even without Rei, hahaha!”

Haru was irritated now at how casual Sera was being. This was not the time or place for this discussion, and Haru wasn't even sure if it was one worth having after all these years. Still trying to be polite, he said,

“Tadanori-kun, may I please see Ma- Tachibana-kun? I heard that he was in the ICU, so I’m very worried, and-“

Tadanori interrupted Haru. “I can't disclose any information on my patient's state until I know- what is your relationship to Tachibana-kun?”

Haru paused for a moment. He was a lot of things to Makoto, as Makoto was to him, but putting their relationship into words was difficult.

“I’m his boyf-… lov-… partner. I’m his partner.”

“Officially?” Tadanori asked.

Haru winced. “No.”

“I’m sorry, Nanase-kun, but I cannot allow you to see him. We have a strict policy that only a patient’s family members and significant other can visit them in the ICU.”

Haru felt hopeless and angry all at once, and it took everything he had to keep from lashing out at Sera on the spot.

Sera gave Haru a sympathetic smile and said, “Don’t worry, Nanase-kun. I’ll make sure that he is taken care of. Hospital policy dictates that once he is moved out of the ICU and into his own room, you may see him. I’ll have the receptionist tell you when that is. For now, please enter the waiting room over there.”

Inside, Haru was fuming, but he wasn't sure exactly why. Without saying anything else, Haru walked over to the waiting room. He entered and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

 

 

“Haruka-senpai!”

Gou looked expectantly at Haru, but received no response. Haru took a few steps into the room, put his back against a wall, and slowly slid down it. When he was finally sitting, he brought his knees to his forehead and hugged his legs close to his chest. He was shaking, and his chest heaved with silent sobbing.

“Haruka… senpai…”

Gou was at a loss for words; she had never seen Haru like this, but she tried her best to cheer him up.

“It’ll be ok! Makoto-senpai will-“

Haru looked up suddenly and gave Gou a cold, piercing look. The whites of his eyes were reddened, and he spoke in a low, threatening tone.

“They didn’t let you in to see him, so there’s no way you can know that.”

Gou paused for a moment. She was intimidated by this side of Haru, but replied,

“Haruka-senpai, I understand that you’re scared, and I-“

Something inside Haru that had been building up ever since he read the word "hospital" finally overflowed. It was too much for him to take.

“HOW COULD YOU UNDERSTAND?!” Haru shouted.

Gou flinched and looked extremely frightened by his sudden outburst, and Haru immediately felt guilty. He knew that he wasn't angry with her or with Doctor Tadanori.

“I- I’m sorry, Gou, I…”

The two sat in silence for a long time. Haru came to the realization that he was angry only with himself.

_Why did I make Makoto walk so much after the day he had yesterday? That was so stupid of me..!_

_He must've exhausted himself._

_This is my fault._

Haru reached into his bag and took out a small box. He opened it carefully and eyed the gold ring inside. He read the engraving on its surface over and over again.

 

_**Always here.** _

 

_If I had given this to him sooner, I would've been able to see him right now._

Haru put the box on the floor beside him and buried his head in his hands. When he’d gotten the ring engraved, he was sure that no statement in the world was truer. Now, he wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here is the angst (sorry, but it had to happen). Let me know what you think!


	5. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Background:  
> Makoto finds Rin and Sousuke waiting for him at the elementary school. He talks with the pair for a while before they get called away to handle an armed robbery downtown. Makoto then starts heading towards the next location—the swim club—but collapses suddenly on his way there. Luckily, Gou finds him and takes him to the hospital. Haru waits anxiously for Makoto’s arrival at the Saba Shack, but is shocked to hear from Kisumi that after a few hours, Makoto has not yet arrived at the swim club. Prompted by a worrisome text from Gou, Haru rushes to the hospital; however, as he is not officially married to Makoto, he is not allowed to see him in the ICU. This begins a long and tiresome waiting period for Haru.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A collection of events that happen while Haru waits for Makoto, featuring cop duo SouRin.

5:00.

“We need to spread the search out wider!” Rin shouted at the men buzzing frantically around him. “You! Take 10 units and go uptown! I’ll continue to lead the search around here with Sousuke.”

“YES, SIR!”

The group left and Rin was approached by a young officer. The officer bowed rigidly in front of him.

“I’m sorry, Matsuoka-san! I didn’t mean to fall for it, I-“

Rin shook his head. “It was your first real assignment, and they played a pretty clever trick on you. You did what you could.”

The officer looked up at Rin. He wore a frustrated expression, and Rin could tell that he was more upset than he let on.

“The only thing I can ask of you now is to work to correct your mistake. Go join the uptown search team. They’ve already left, but if you leave now, you can catch up to them.”

The officer looked surprised, then turned and ran to his motorbike.

“You know that they’re not uptown yet, right? Even though it’s been a while, they know that we don’t have anyone directly on their trail, so they’ll take it slow and be more careful.”

Sousuke came up behind Rin and spoke softly so that the remaining cops couldn’t hear him.

“Yeah, but uptown’s where they’re going.”

“How do you know?”

Rin pointed to the jewelry store that was robbed. Smoke rose from the back of the building and shattered glass lay on the ground.

“If they wanted to stay downtown, they wouldn’t have chosen the back; they would’ve picked either side. The road behind this building connects to a bunch of side streets that go uptown. They’re going to try to sneak away through the alleyways.”

Sousuke smirked. “That’s only if Momo will actually listen to Ai—Ai’s smart enough to know how to get away safely, but Momo could blow their cover easily, which would be good for us.”

Rin stayed silent and Sousuke’s smirk turned into a frown.

“Rin… you know that if we _do_ get them this time, we have to arrest them.”

Rin looked at Sousuke and grit his teeth.

“Of course I know that! I wouldn’t be a cop otherwise!”

Sousuke continued, unconvinced. “Even if they’re our kouhais, this is what they’ve chosen. It’s our job to bring them to justice, no matter how hard it is for us or what their intentions may have been.”

Rin’s eyes fell to the ground and he shuffled nervously.

“I know.”

Rin didn’t want to admit it, but he was torn between his duty as an officer and his loyalty as a friend. Momo and Nitori had stolen something once before when Rin was out of town, so only Sousuke was around to deal with it. The two got away, much to Sousuke’s chagrin, but Rin had mixed feelings about the situation. He didn’t want to believe that his friends could ever commit a crime, but even when he finally brought himself to accept that they had, he still believed that they must’ve had good intentions, even if what they were doing was wrong.

But things were different now. Rin was here and had to deal with the situation at hand. He sighed and closed his eyes, becoming deep in thought. He went over the events that had just played out in his mind.

* * *

 

 

When Rin and Sousuke arrived on the scene, the two perps were still inside, holding five hostages. Rin had a hunch who the criminals were from his subordinate’s report earlier, but his suspicions were confirmed when he saw them for himself. A silver-haired man holding a gun (which Rin could tell wasn’t loaded from the way he was holding it) and an orange-haired man holding an Australian boomerang, a gift that Rin had given him years ago.

Rin took a megaphone from one of his junior officers.

“Nitori Aiichirou! Mikoshiba Momotarou! This is the head of police, Matsuoka Rin, speaking! I will give you one chance to walk away from this unharmed. Return the jewels and release the hostages, and we’ll let you walk free! If you don’t, we’ll be forced to take action!”

Rin waved a hand and an officer on the ground, as well as two snipers on a nearby rooftop, got into position to fire. Their guns were loaded with tranquilizing darts so as not to seriously harm the hostages, should they be caught in the crossfire.

Sousuke looked at Rin in disbelief and was about to ask him if he was crazy, but saw that he was tearing up. His voice cracked as he continued talking, and everyone on the police force pretended not to notice.

_He’s crying at a time like this…_

Nitori shouted from inside the store. “I’m sorry, Rin-senpai, but we can’t do that!”

Nitori backed up, keeping the gun pointed at the front of the store where the hostages were huddled together on the floor.

“Stay where you are, Ai!” Rin yelled. “I’m warning you!”

“We’re leaving this building with the jewels no matter what!” Momo proclaimed. “Let’s go, Nitori-senpai!”

Nitori nodded and reached for his pocket with one hand.

Sousuke turned to face a group of three young officers. “They’re going to try to get away- take the side alley over there and get to the back of the building. When they come out, disarm the orange-haired one, the silver-haired one is harmless. Go!”

“Yes, sir!”

The officers saluted Sousuke and went to do their duty. Rin and Sousuke watched carefully as the group entered the building.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Matsuoka-senpai!”

Rin’s eyes widened in horror as Nitori raised his hand- in it, he held a stun grenade and two small smoke bombs.

“Shit- OFFICERS, FALL BACK!”

Momo threw his boomerang at the back windows of the store and shattered them; after he caught the boomerang on its return, he took two pairs of googles out of his pocket. He put one on himself and handed the other to Nitori, who did the same. Momo pinched his nostrils and held his breath. Nitori threw one of the smoke bombs towards the front of the store so that Rin and Sousuke couldn’t see inside, then he threw the stun grenade out the back window at the three officers waiting to capture the pair there. The group was immediately immobilized (but not hurt), and Momo and Nitori took their chance to escape. As they ran into the alley behind the store, Nitori turned back towards the officers and threw the second smoke bomb, buying himself and Momo more time to escape.

“Damn it,” Rin snarled as he grit his teeth. “I should’ve expected something like that- they wouldn’t have been so calm in a situation like this otherwise.”

Rin called the other officers over, and they began to discuss their options for catching the duo. Sousuke contacted the medics and they came to assess the conditions of the three officers caught in the smoke and the hostages, all of whom were uninjured. Afterwards, he joined Rin and the other officers and dispatched a search party.

* * *

 

 

Rin was breathing slowly in an attempt to calm himself, and Sousuke watched him anxiously. Sousuke looked around and, seeing that all the other officers were preoccupied, took advantage of the situation.

“Hey, Rin.”

Sousuke hugged Rin from behind and Rin froze.

“Calm down.” Sousuke put his head on Rin’s shoulder and Rin sighed.

“How can I calm down if you’re doing stuff like this?”

Sousuke laughed and turned to kiss Rin’s cheek- a gentle, innocent kiss, but it made Rin just as red as the not-so-innocent ones.

“Oi, Sousuke! We have to maintain some sort of professionalism here…”

Sousuke turned Rin around so they were face to face, then kissed his forehead.

“So being ‘professional’ means that I can’t kiss my fiancee from time to time? Mmm, I’d rather not be, then,” Sousuke said, grinning.

Rin looked around. The coast was clear, so he quickly pressed his lips to Sousuke’s. Just as Sousuke was really getting into it, Rin moved away. Sousuke pouted.

“You’re such a tease, Rin.”

“We’re not married yet, dumbass- I can tease you all I want.”

“Well, at least we’re getting married before Tachibana and Nanase; you compete with that guy in everything, even in who could propose to their boyfriend fast-“

“Shut up! I already won that one, so there’s no need to bring it up,” Rin said, turning his gaze to the ground. “Actually, I wonder if he’s done it yet? Makoto has to have reached the restaurant by now.”

“Yeah, we can ask them later. Let’s get to work now.”

Sousuke took his hands off of Rin’s waist and walked over to their fellow officers.

“Jeez… At least give me a little warning before you just walk off like that!”

Rin took his walkie from his belt and pressed the button on the top.

“Matusoka here. Find anything yet?”

* * *

 

 

5:30.

“Thank you, Gou.”

“Haruka-senpai?”

Haru looked up from where he was sitting on the floor and gave Gou the best smile he could. His cheeks were tear-stained, and Gou could tell that he was trying really hard not to cry again.

“I have a lot to thank you for. You were the one who found Makoto and brought him here. If it weren’t for you, it could’ve been much worse than this,” Haru said in a soft voice. “And even though I yelled at you earlier for no good reason, you didn’t get upset with me…”

Gou sighed, relieved. It seemed like Haru was finally back to what could be considered normal under these circumstances.

“But more importantly, you didn’t leave,” Haru’s voice quivered as he spoke. “Thank you for being here, Gou. I don’t think I could handle waiting like this on my own.”

At this, Gou’s vision blurred with tears. She got up from her chair and walked over to Haru. She took his hands and pulled him up so that he was standing.

“Gou?”

She put her arms around him and hugged tightly. When she let go of him, Gou smiled brightly and said,

“You’ve been through a lot, Haruka-senpai, but it’s easier to wait if you’re sitting in a chair. C’mon.”

She leaned down and picked up Haru’s bag and the small box beside it. She put the box in his hand and walked back over to where she was sitting. Haru followed suit and sat beside her. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, then Gou spoke up.

“Haruka-senpai, did you tell Kisumi?”

“…Huh?”

“Did you tell Kisumi? That he doesn’t have to wait at the swim club anymore?”

Haru’s eyes widened. “…Shit.”

He took out his phone and texted Kisumi.

* * *

 

 

5:45.

Kisumi’s phone buzzed inside his pocket.

“Onii-chan! Your phone!”

Hayato shook Kisumi and the older boy opened his eyes slowly.

“Is it Makoto?” he asked sleepily. “Is he here yet?”

“No,” Hayato said. “But I think you got a text.”

Kisumi took out his phone. He unlocked it and squinted at the message on the bright screen.

 

**Makoto is in the hospital, so you can go home now. Sorry for making you wait.**

**-Haru**

 

Kisumi read the text a few times before he processed what it said. He locked his phone and stared blankly at the pool in front of him.

“Onii-chan?”

“Hayato, you can go home and eat dinner. Something came up, so Makoto isn’t coming anymore.”

“Eh? But what about you?”

Kisumi stood up and stretched. He had been sleeping in a poolside chair, so he was a little sore.

“I have to go pick some things up at the store, so I’ll be home later.”

“Ah, ok. I’ll see you later then!”

Hayato picked up his bag and left. Kisumi spent some time turning off all the lights (he and Hayato had turned them on because they knew that Makoto doesn’t like the dark) and making sure that all the doors were locked. Once that was done, he left the club keys at the front desk with a thank-you note to Coach Sasabe.

Kisumi locked the door behind him and walked outside. It was sunset already, and he stood for a few minutes watching the sun recede in the sky.

_Toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, washcloth…_

Kisumi went over the list of things he would have to buy in his head.

_Well, I guess I can just get the travel-sized ones…_

* * *

 

 

6:30.

The door to the waiting room opened and Haru jumped up. He and Gou were the only ones in there, so he looked at the receptionist expectantly.

“Nanase Haruka?”

Haru nodded.

“Tachibana Makoto’s condition has stabilized. He has been moved into his own room, so you may see him now.”

Haru immediately grabbed his things and Gou did the same.

“However,” the receptionist continued. “I have to warn you—we had him on a ventilator in the ICU. He’s breathing on his own now, but he still has a chest tube in to help his lung along until it recovers completely.”

Haru paled. “His lung?”

“Yes. The doctor said that he will explain more to you in the patient’s room. It’s down this hall—the last door on your left.”

Haru walked hurriedly, Gou following closely behind. When he got to the door, Haru paused, his hand hovering over the doorknob.

“Haruka-senpai?”

He thought of how he was in this exact same situation less than twenty-four hours ago. Him, on one side of the door, unsure whether or not he should enter- Makoto, on the other side, injured. He took a second to put the small box into his bag and then gripped the doorknob. His knuckles turned white, and he was afraid of what he might see, but he turned the knob anyway.

* * *

 

 

“Ah, Nanase-kun! You’re here.”

Sera turned from one of the monitors beside Makoto’s bed and smiled at Haru. Haru didn’t answer immediately, taking a moment to just look at Makoto.

Makoto was asleep, his chest rising and falling like clockwork. His expression was peaceful, and if Haru didn’t already know that they were at a hospital, he would’ve assumed that everything was fine. Haru could see the chest tube extending out from underneath the blanket, and he worried about whether or not putting it in hurt Makoto because of his burns. Makoto also had an IV hooked into his arm and more wires coming from his chest from what Haru assumed to be a cardiac event monitor. He looked at the monitors behind Sera, checking Makoto’s vitals for himself.

_It’s good… They’re all good… Everything is…_

Haru looked at Makoto’s face again.

_Good._

Haru took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Gou watched him carefully, worried that he might get upset again, but was relieved when that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Tadanori-kun, I was told that you’d explain more about what happened to him?”

Sera’s expression went from cheery to serious, and he sat down in a chair near the window. He gestured to the two chairs beside it.

“You’ll want to sit down for this.”

Haru and Gou took their places next to Sera, who spoke in a calm, unaffected tone.

“Tachibana-kun had a special case of what is commonly referred to as a ‘collapsed lung’. Medically, it’s called a tension pneumothorax.”

Haru and Gou’s eyes were trained on Sera, and they watched him intently as he spoke.

“This condition normally occurs a few minutes after a patient has trauma to the chest area. However, from Miss Matsuoka’s report, I’ve come to a different conclusion about what caused it.”

Haru was not breathing now.

“I would assume that in yesterday’s fire, Tachibana-kun maintained blunt trauma to either his chest or back from a falling object. His lung probably collapsed shortly after, but his body may have been in shock from the burns and/or dealing with the smoke, I’m not sure which. For whatever reason, the loss of oxygen took more than twelve hours to reach a critical point; when it finally did, he collapsed as Miss Matsuoka witnessed. When he arrived here, he had the typical symptoms of this condition—low oxygen levels and low blood pressure—along with cyanosis (blue skin from a lack of oxygen) in his extremities.”

Haru was pretty sure that his heart had stopped.

“Tadanori-san, you said ‘had’, as if he doesn’t have it now. Does that mean that he’s cured?” Gou asked.

“More or less. When we received him here from the ambulance, we immediately put him on a ventilator to get the oxygen levels in his blood back up. Then we took our time putting in the chest tube, which was difficult because of all those burns. He also woke up while we were in the middle of inserting the tube; we couldn’t anesthetize him, so we had to sedate him instead, but that took a while.”

Haru flinched. “You mean… he could feel everything?”

Sera gave Haru a sympathetic smile. “Only for a few minutes. We were very careful, I promise you that.”

Haru looked at his feet, trying not to imagine Makoto being in pain, and Sera continued.

“His condition is stable now, but he will have to remain here for at least a full day before I will allow him to be discharged. I want to be sure that he will have no problems breathing on his own once the chest tube is removed.”

Sera stood up and walked towards the door.

“I’ll send a few nurses to perform the procedure tomorrow morning, and I’ll send someone to let you know if he’s ok to go. Everything was covered by his insurance, so you won’t have to worry about financial matters, Nanase-kun. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Sera left the room, and Haru moved his seat right next to Makoto’s bed. He regarded Makoto with an intense gaze, and it made Gou feel very out of place. She stood up.

“Haruka-senpai, it’s getting kind of late, and I have to go home now. Will you be okay?”

Haru didn’t look up. “Yeah.”

Gou smiled and walked towards the door.

“Gou?”

She turned around. Haru was crying again, but made no effort to hide it.

“Thanks for staying so long.”

Gou was startled for a moment, then relaxed when she realized that Haru was crying out of relief.

“Any time.”

Just like that, she was gone, and Haru was left alone with Makoto. Haru wiped the tears from his cheeks and gently brushed the hair away from Makoto’s eyes. He ran his fingers through Makoto’s hair, then kissed his forehead.

“I’m here, Makoto.”

He sat watching Makoto for some time. After a while, he began to feel tired, so he took one of Makoto’s hands in his own and interlocked their fingers. Feeling a sense of security now that he was holding onto Makoto, Haru let himself fall asleep at his lover’s bedside.

* * *

 

 

8:30.

“There’s no denying it. They got away. We sent out almost everyone we had, and we couldn’t even find a trace of them. Damn it all…” Rin said solemnly. “What kind of police chief am I if I can’t even catch two robbers with the entire force working at my back?”

“Tch.”

Sousuke clucked his tongue in frustration.

“I’m going to search some more.”

Sousuke started to walk towards his motorbike, but stopped as Rin grabbed his arm.

“No, Sousuke. We’ve been searching for hours, and you’ve already gone off on three separate searches. You’re overworking yourse-“

“I need to find them, Rin!” Sousuke said, almost shouting. “It was my fault that they got away last time, and I can’t let it happen again!”

Rin was about to speak, but Sousuke went on.

“Besides, I need to know why they did this. I need to have them in front of me so I can ask them myself.”

Rin pulled Sousuke’s arm, and Sousuke grunted in pain.

“Rin! You know that’s my-“

“I know. And I’ll twist it if it means stopping you from running yourself ragged like this. You can’t blame yourself, and you can’t find them by yourself.”

Sousuke grit his teeth, but Rin gave him a fierce look and continued.

“We will find them, Sousuke. One day. Maybe not today, maybe not for weeks, but when we do, we will get to the bottom of this. So I’m telling you, as your superior, to calm down and let it go for tonight.”

Rin let go of Sousuke’s arm. He looked at the jewelry store one last time before calling all of the cops in the area to him.

“Everyone! Let’s leave the police tape up as this is still a crime scene and the robbers could return. I’m calling it a night for now, but I will assign two-man watches to keep this place under protection for the next few days. All right, let’s start with you two for tonight until midnight, and you two from midnight to 4am, and you two from 4am to 8am…”

When Rin ran out of people in the immediate area to assign, he began calling the other officers over the walkie to give them their assignments. Sousuke felt relieved at how well Rin was handling the situation and decided that he wouldn’t let himself do any less.

Once Rin finished, Sousuke gave the order that should anyone find the two, they were to report straight to him, no matter what time of day it was. At this, Rin smirked and kneed Sousuke’s ass.

“Ohhh, taking charge are we, lieutenant ?”

Sousuke gave Rin a sideways look and walked towards their car. Rin dismissed everyone for the night, and the officers (aside from the poor souls with the first watch) left the scene almost instantly.

Rin caught up to Sousuke and put a hand on his back.

“Oi, Sousuke! Don’t pout!”

Sousuke, still pouting, said, “Rin, I want to go home. Now.”

Rin frowned. Just as Sousuke was about to open the car door and get in, Rin stepped in front of him.

“Can I get you to stop making that face?”

“I still want to go look for them,” Sousuke said without hesitation.

“I can’t let you do that.”

“Then no.”

Rin gave an exasperated sigh. “You don’t give up on anything once you’ve got your mind set on it, huh?”

“Nope.”

Rin shook his head. He had no choice but to play the only card he had left.

“Sousuke, this is me telling you that there are better things for you to be doing tonight.”

Sousuke’s eyes lit up.

“Oh? Like what?”

Rin’s face flushed. “Like me.”

Sousuke gave Rin a mischievous look. “And you’re telling me this as my superior?”

“I’m telling you this as your fiancee.”

Sousuke looked around. Seeing that they were the only ones left besides the officers on watch, he put his arms around Rin’s waist and pulled him close until their noses were touching.

“Are you saying that you’ll make it up to me?”

Rin was sweating now.

_Fuck, why the FUCK does he have to do this, every goddamn time I’m trying to be smooth, every TIME he just does this shit, fuck, fuck, FUCK..!_

“Yeah,” Rin said, his voice cracking on the syllable.

Just as Rin leaned in to give him a kiss, Sousuke let go of Rin’s waist and pushed past him to get in the car. Rin stood, dumbstruck, not quite processing what had just happened. Sousuke closed the door behind him and pointed to the passenger’s seat.

“Get in, then.”

Rin’s face got even redder in embarrassment. He walked to the other side of the car and got in, muttering under his breath.

“…damn… fucking tease…”

Sousuke laughed. “’We’re not married yet—I’ll tease you all I want.’ Isn’t that what you said earlier?”

“Shut up.”

With that, Sousuke drove home as quickly as the speed limit would allow. Once they got home, he kept his promise to tease Rin all night, much to Rin’s chagrin (and enjoyment). 

* * *

 

 

“Nitori-senpai, I think they gave up!” Momo said, looking out the window of their apartment. “You can stop hiding in there now.”

Nitori came out of the closet and let out an exhausted huff. “I wouldn’t have to hide in the first place if you had just followed my plan for taking the jewels.”

In his hands, Nitori held their prizes—two matching emerald and sapphire pins cut in the shape of water droplets. They were each valued at about ¥100,000, and planning the theft took months of observation on Nitori’s part.

Nitori determined exactly what time the two could enter the store to get the jewels with the minimum amount of attention being brought to them—right before closing time. All they would have to do would be to knock out the store’s clerk, which Momo could do easily with his boomerang.

However, once they arrived at the scene, Momo got overexcited and charged in ten minutes early. As such, there were still customers in the store—one thing led to another, and suddenly, they were taking hostages and being confronted by the entire Iwatobi police force.

Momo put a hand behind his head and gave an apologetic look. “Haha! Sorry, my bad!”

“It’s not funny, Momo-kun! All we had to do was get in, get the presents for Tachibana and Nanase, and get out. Now we’ve got Rin-senpai, Yamazaki-senpai, and the entire police force out looking for us! If I hadn’t brought those smoke bombs, we’d be in jail right now… Augghhh…”

Momo walked over to Nitori and took the jewels from his hands.

“Well, at least we have their wedding presents now, right?”

Nitori was lying face-down on the floor now, moaning. “But Momo-kun… Rin-senpai and Yamazaki-senpai will be at the wedding! We can’t show our faces there!”

Momo scratched his head in thought, then replied, “Then we can sneak in, leave the gifts, and sneak back out!”

Nitori groaned. “But now they’ll know that the pins are stolen…”

Momo laughed. “Not if Matsuoka-senpai and Yamazaki-senpai don’t see them, haha!”

“Auuuggghhhh…”

Nitori knew that he let himself get dragged around by Momo too much, but he really didn’t mind it as much as he pretended to.

“Okay…”

“Yay!” Momo exclaimed. “Another super-secret mission!”

“Not so loud, Momo-kun!”

* * *

 

 

9:00.

The door to Makoto’s room opened and Haru woke up, startled.

“Haru~ Are you in here?”

Kisumi walked in holding a large paper bag.

“Oh, it’s you,” Haru said in a monotone voice. He looked at the clock on the wall, then back at Kisumi. “How did you get in here? Visiting hours for anyone not already here should be over by now.”

Kisumi pursed his lips, sulking. “I come to visit you and Makoto, and this is how I’m greeted. Hmmph! You could stand to be a little nicer to me, Haru~”

Haru winced. He knew that Kisumi was joking, but it was true.

_He did wait at the swim club for hours… And that was my fault._

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Kisumi gave a wry smile. “You’re forgiven~ And it was easy- that receptionist practically threw her number at me once I walked in the door, so all I had to do was ask where Makoto was and here I am, haha!”

Haru frowned.

_This guy is just as irritating as ever._

“Ah, there’s no need to give me such a mean stare! After all, I have a gift for you; it took me a while since I had to get dinner first, but here-“

Kisumi handed Haru the paper bag. Haru looked confused for a moment then began to take out its contents one by one. A disposable toothbrush, travel-sized toothpaste and deodorant, a washcloth, two bottles of water, some snacks-

Haru was stunned.

“Kisumi… you didn’t have to get all this.”

Kisumi waved a hand. “It’s fine- I’m just doing what I would’ve done for Makoto all those years ago, had I known him at the time.”

“…What?”

“Ah, Makoto never told you? Remember when you jumped into the river to get Zaki-chan’s scarf, but got a really bad fever and had to go to the hospital afterwards?”

Haru didn’t like remembering that time, but nodded anyway.

“Well, once Makoto was allowed to see you, he stayed by your side the whole time. When he told me about it, he talked about how scared he was to see you like that and how relieved he was when you were finally better. Knowing Makoto, I knew that he probably didn’t take very good care of himself during that time because he was too worried about you. I figured you would do the same this time, so I’m here to remind you to take care of yourself!”

Haru was at a loss for words. He’d never thought much of Kisumi, even wrote him off as an annoying guy, but here he was, doing something extremely thoughtful on a whim.

“Kisumi… thank you.”

Kisumi smiled warmly. “Thank me by using everything in there~ It’s late already, so I’ve gotta go home now- say hello to Makoto for me when he wakes up, ok?”

“Yeah,” Haru replied, smiling.

Just as Kisumi was about to leave, he turned and added, “Don’t forget to look at _everything_ inside the bag, okay? Not all of it is for today~”

Kisumi shut the door behind him, prompting Haru to reach into the bottom of the bag. He felt several things in small foil packages, and his eyes widened.

_No. There’s no way that Kisumi bought me-_

Haru pulled them out and stared in disbelief.

Condoms. Individual condoms.

There were seven, and written on the foil of each was, **“Make love responsibly!!! ^o^”**

Haru was slightly offended because this implied that one, he wasn’t responsible, and two, that he and Makoto didn’t already use condoms.

_We already have a big box at home… We don’t need any more._

Haru sighed and put the condoms back in the bag. He reached in again and found a small bottle of lube. He considered calling Kisumi back so that he could hit him, but restrained himself.

_…Actually, we were running low on this._

In a weird way, Haru was grateful for this second inappropriate gift.

Haru thought about the different ways that he and Makoto could use Kisumi’s gifts when he was better and scolded himself for not taking the chance to have sex with Makoto earlier that morning.

Haru spent some more time watching over Makoto and became very hungry. He looked at the clock.

11:00.

With no other options available, he ate all of the snacks that Kisumi brought for him and drank both bottles of water. He wasn’t full afterwards, but he was glad to not be hungry anymore. He left the room briefly to use the bathroom, wash his face, and brush his teeth. After he returned, it took some time, but Haru finally fell asleep for the night, his hand in Makoto’s.

* * *

 

 

_Huh?_

Makoto woke up and felt a strange sensation in his chest. He reached down with his right hand and was shocked to find a tube attached to him. It took him a moment to remember what happened.

_Ah, so I’m in a hospital now…_

He looked at the clock on the wall.

5:00.

_I slept through my whole birthday..! And I didn’t even get to see Haru…_

_…_

_Haru!!_

Makoto sat up, and his heart rate showed a marked increase on the monitor.

_Oh no! Does Haru know I’m here? What if he’s still waiting for me to come see him? I have to-_

Makoto’s train of thought was stopped as he felt pressure on his hand. He looked to his left and saw Haru, asleep and holding his hand firmly.

The monitor stopped beeping erratically and Makoto sat back, relaxed.

“Haru…” he said in a whisper. He brought the hand holding Haru’s to his mouth and kissed Haru’s knuckles lightly.

Makoto sat in silence and watched over Haru, waiting patiently for him to wake up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said that there would only be 5 chapters, but I wrote this whole chapter today when inspiration struck and hit a block with the ending, so I'll have to ask you to wait on that. Chapter 6 will be the final chapter, centered completely on MakoHaru- I hope you look forward to reading it as much as I look forward to writing it!


	6. Always Here

8:00.

Haru awoke to the sound of a door being shut.

His head lay on Makoto’s bed, resting on his forearms. He lifted his gaze slowly, oblivious to the dark pink marks on his arm and the pins and needles he felt once the pressure was relieved. He focused on the empty bed in front of him, not sure what to make of it.

“Makoto?” Haru inquired sleepily.

“He’s down the hall,” a voice said. Haru turned to see a nurse near the door, holding fresh linens in her hands. “Dr. Sera asked some nurses to remove his chest tube about an hour ago, and now he’s just getting a final checkup before he’ll be discharged. You can gather your things and go see him now, if you’d like. If you’ll excuse me…”

Haru stood up from his chair and moved away as the nurse began to change the sheets on the bed. Still not quite awake, he reached for his bag and slung it lazily over his shoulder.

“Thank you…” Haru said as he opened the door to leave.

“Mmm-hmm,” the nurse grunted in acknowledgement.

Haru looked down the hall. He wanted to go see Makoto right away, but decided that it would be better to clean himself up first. He went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and washed his face. As Haru reached for the deodorant in his bag, his hand brushed against the condoms. Although he wanted to be with Makoto badly, Haru briefly wondered if Makoto would actually be ok to do it so soon. He let out a sigh.

_I’ll definitely have to wait… but that’s ok._

Before going to see Makoto, Haru quickly typed out a text on his phone and sent it.

_I hope she gets it before everyone gets there…_

* * *

Haru left the bathroom and walked down the hall. He wasn’t sure which room Makoto was in until he heard a familiar gentle laugh coming from a few doors down. Haru stopped in front of that door, his hand outstretched but not resting on the knob just yet.

_This is the third time it’s like this,_ Haru noted bitterly.

He knew that Makoto was okay now—that laugh a moment ago confirmed it, yet he still harbored doubts in the back of his mind.

_It will be okay this time,_ Haru reassured himself as he turned the doorknob.

He pushed the door open slowly, his nerves getting the better of his anticipation. His gaze was glued to the floor and his expression was blank.

“Ah, good morning, Haru!”

Haru lifted his eyes slowly. His vision panned up from the floor, taking in the room from the bottom up. He saw Makoto’s feet first—he realized that Makoto was wearing shoes, not slippers. Continuing on, he saw that Makoto was no longer robed in the generic hospital gown, but in his own clothes; he sat comfortably on the exam table and two nurses stood on either side of him. When Haru’s gaze finally reached Makoto’s face, he saw the same kind, concerned expression that he’d grown used to over the years.

“Haru? Are you all right?”

It all felt so surreal—yesterday, Haru was sitting at Makoto’s bedside for hours, waiting for him to wake up, and now, here Makoto was, looking at Haru like he always did, as if nothing happened.

“…Yeah. I’m fine.”

Makoto stood up and walked towards Haru. Before Haru realized what he was doing, Makoto embraced him tightly and tucked his head in the crook of his neck. His voice was low, less than a whisper in Haru’s ear.

“Thank you for coming, Haruka.”

Haru turned his head to kiss Makoto’s, then smiled into his lover’s hair as he sighed:

“I’m glad you’re ok.”

As the two stood holding each other, the nurses took the opportunity to excuse themselves, not that Haru or Makoto noticed (or cared). After some time, Makoto spoke:

“I’m sorry for making you worry,” he said, voice laden with guilt, eyes lowered to the floor. From this, Haru knew that Makoto was definitely blaming himself for what had happened, and Haru wouldn’t stand for that.

Haru pulled back from their hug and put his hands on Makoto’s shoulders. He looked Makoto dead in the eye with a serious expression as he said:

“Of course I was worried—the moment I read Gou’s text, I thought I was losing you,” Haru said in a poignant tone. “But me being worried about you or feeling anxious isn’t some problem that you caused. Actually, it’s the opposite…”

Haru’s features softened as he brought his lips to Makoto’s. He gave Makoto the gentlest of kisses and brushed his lips against Makoto’s ever so slightly as he pulled away, causing Makoto to subconsciously chase after them, then stop after he realized what had happened.

“I love you, Makoto. I worry about you because I love you. I can’t help it, so please don’t apologize.”

Makoto was speechless, which rarely ever happened to him. All he could do was stare at Haru (who was blushing profusely) in amazement; hearing Haru say something like this brought Makoto’s thoughts to a halt.

Haru reached for Makoto’s hand and began to pull him along, which jumpstarted Makoto’s brain.

“Haru-ch-“

“C’mon—let’s go. I have something for you,” Haru said, still blushing and avoiding Makoto’s wide eyes.

Makoto’s face brightened as he broke out into a radiant smile. He nodded in affirmation and let Haru guide him.

* * *

 

“Eh? Why is the Saba Shack closed today?” Makoto asked as Haru pulled the key out of his bag and unlocked the door.

“I sent Yazaki a message this morning asking her to tell everyone that they had the day off again today.”

“Again? Did you give Zaki-chan and everyone else the day off yesterday, too?”

“Yeah,” Haru said as he pushed the door open. Makoto followed him inside and put two and two together.

“Ah! Was the Saba Shack the last location on the map? Were you waiting here for me?”

“Mmm-hmm,” Haru replied, walking over to the table he left so abruptly yesterday. He regarded the cake sitting there with an indifferent expression, noting that the frosting coating it had hardened and become unappetizing from being left out for too long. He frowned, eliciting an immediate reaction from Makoto.

“Did you make this cake for me, Haru? It looks beautiful!” Makoto said as he fawned over the slightly crusty cake.

“I have to make another one—this one’s no good anymore like this.” Haru replied plainly.

“Is that so?” Makoto said, a hint of disappointment in his voice. Makoto being Makoto, he genuinely would’ve loved to eat the cake Haru made for him no matter how it was, so getting rid of it all of a sudden seemed like a waste. “In that case, let me help you, Haru-chan.”

Haru huffed at the use of his childhood nickname. “Drop the –chan already. And you’re not good in the kitchen, so just sit and wait,” he said, feigning irritation.

“Huh? That’s no fair, Haru~” Makoto whined. “Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it!”

“Fine,” Haru acquiesced.

* * *

 

“Is this good, Haru?”

“Keep mixing it- I can still see a lot of lumps.”

“Aahhh, okay…”

Makoto spun his wrist rapidly, as if trying to chase the clumps out of the batter.

“By the way, Haru-“ Makoto began as he stirred. “Ran and Ren… Rin and Sousuke… They all mentioned some kind of event taking place a few months from now. Do you know anything about it?”

Haru’s eyes widened slightly for a moment, but he quickly collected himself and countered:

“Must be a festival of some kind.”

“Huh? But… I got the impression from the others that it was something you were in charge of…”

_Seems like Rin was talking too much again,_ Haru thought, irritated at the possibility of the surprise being ruined.

“No, they’re mistaken,” Haru said confidently. Makoto eyed him for a few moments, not entirely convinced. Needing an out, Haru decided to shift Makoto’s attention.

“That’s good, Makoto,” he said as he watched Makoto stir the ingredients in the bowl. “Any more and you’ll be overmixing it.”

“Ah, got it,” Makoto said, disregarding their conversation for the time being. He took the whisk out of the mixture and tapped it against the side of the bowl, coaxing the remaining batter off of it.

_I’m glad that worked._

Haru noticed that Makoto was using so much force that he was essentially banging the whisk on the edge of the bowl and tried his hardest not to laugh. He knew better than anyone that Makoto never could control his strength; doing anything that required control and precision was very difficult for him.

_Well, almost anything,_ Haru thought to himself as he remembered Kisumi’s gifts to them.

Haru looked over at Makoto and saw that he had some cake batter on his cheek. He went to Makoto’s side and took the bowl from him, setting it down on the table. 

“Hey, you’ve got something,” Haru said casually, pointing to his own cheek.

“Oh, thanks, Haru! Let me just grab a napkin-“

As Makoto reached for the roll of paper towel on the table, Haru put his hand on Makoto’s chin and turned his face towards him.

“It’s ok- I’ll get it.”

Haru licked the spot where the cake batter was and felt Makoto’s face heat up. He made sure that Makoto could see him lick his lips afterwards.

“Tastes sweet.”

“H-Haru…” Makoto groaned as he buried his face in his hands. “We have to bake this cake, don’t we?”

“We are,” Haru said calmly. “I was just helping you clean up a little.”

Haru smirked as Makoto’s ears turned a dark pink. Makoto spread his fingers and looked at Haru from the space between them. He had a dark look in his eyes, and as much as Haru wanted to indulge that, he couldn’t bring himself to do that at his beloved Saba Shack. An unspoken conversation took place between them, and Makoto lowered his hands from his face to reveal a pout.

“No fair, Haru… that’s teasing.”

“We don’t have a shower here. Wait until later.”

Makoto let out a sigh and continued pouting. Makoto was the type of person to never complain or pout about anything, except when it came to sex. He was uncharacteristically assertive whenever he was in the mood, and when he didn’t get to do it, the tension built up over time. Haru thought it was a little unfair—better sex later when Makoto got his release at the expense of a sexually frustrated Makoto right now.

Makoto poured the batter from the bowl into the cake pan and put it in the oven. He then came back to the table and cleaned up the old frosting bags.

“Haru, do we need to make new frosting for the cake?”

In that moment, Haru came up with a perfect idea.

“Yeah,” he replied. “I’ll make the base white frosting- could you get the dyes from the cabinet in the back pantry?”

“Sure,” Makoto answered readily. “What colors do we need?”

Haru thought carefully for a moment then answered:

“Green and blue.”

“All right- I’ll be right back, Haru.”

Makoto entered the pantry at the back of the kitchen and Haru quickly went to work in the few minutes that he had alone. He took the small box with the ring out of his bag and opened it; his hands were shaking even though his knuckles were turning white from his tight grip on the box. Haru regarded the band with equal parts nervous anticipation and unbridled joy.

_I’m really doing this…_

_I’m going to ask Makoto to…_

“Haru?”

Haru flinched as Makoto called his name. Quickly closing and stuffing the box in his pocket, Haru turned to face the pantry. Not seeing Makoto, he called out cautiously:

“What is it?”

“There are all kinds of shades of green and blue here… Does it matter which ones I get?”

Haru sighed with relief knowing that Makoto hadn’t seen him with the ring just yet.

“Huh? Are you okay out there, Haru?”

_Of course Makoto would pick up on a little sigh like that,_ Haru thought.

“I’m fine. It doesn’t matter- just pick the ones you like best.”

“Aahhh, but they’re all good… I really can’t choose…”

For once, Haru was grateful that Makoto had decided to be wishy-washy.

“Take your time,” Haru called out plainly. “The cake’s not done yet, so it’s fine.”

“Mmmm,” Makoto hummed in thoughtful agreement.

Haru was still trembling slightly but resolved to focus on the task at hand. He wasted no time whipping up the base frosting and pouring it into three separate bowls. Just as he was finishing up, Makoto came out with two small bottles of dye: ocean blue and apple green.

“Are these all right, Haru?”

Haru regarded the bottles with little interest; the color mattered much less than the taste and still less than the design, so whatever Makoto chose was automatically fine.

“Mm-hmm,” Haru confirmed. “Put three drops of each into two of these bowls.”

“Got it. Like this?”

“Good. Now mix that one- I’ll do this one.”

The two worked in silence to get the frosting to be just the right shade. When they seemed satisfied, they started pouring the frosting into bags for piping. With each second, Haru’s nerves inched closer and closer to the edge. His pocket felt heavy and the ring seemed to burn a hole through it- he couldn’t think of anything else.

“All done,” Makoto said in a light tone. He glanced over at Haru and saw him staring intensely at the floor, absentmindedly kneading the blue frosting bag in his hands.

“Haru?”

Almost immediately, Haru snapped his head to face Makoto. They locked eyes for a few moments, and it was enough for Makoto to pick up on Haru’s nervousness. Knowing this only made Haru even more nervous, and it forced him to look away. He tried desperately to think of something to throw Makoto off.

“Har-“

“I think the cake might be burning.”

“Oh!” Makoto exclaimed.

Haru walked hurriedly to the oven and took the cake out, pretending to be flustered. It was a perfect deep brown, chocolatey but not burnt at all, as he expected. After checking to make sure it was baked all the way through with a knife, Haru deemed the cake acceptable and brought it back to a now-anxious Makoto.

“How is it? Is it ok?”

Haru nodded and placed it on the table.

“I’ll do this part- can you hand me the white frosting?”

Makoto complied, and Haru spent the next ten minutes meticulously putting the finishing touches on the cake. He covered the entire thing with a layer of white frosting, then used the blue and green frosting to create an alternating series of ribbon-swirls around the cake. Squeezing a ring of blue roses with green leaves around the edges of the top, Haru intentionally left the center blank in plain white.

Looking at the cake that he and Makoto had made together, Haru knew.

It was finally time.

“Makoto, could you take the green frosting and write out the text on top?”

“Eh? My handwriting is terrible compared to yours, Haru-chan! Are you sure you want me to do it? I don’t want to mess it up after how beautifully you’ve decorated it…”

Haru smiled.

“Yeah.” He placed the frosting bag in Makoto’s hand. “Just try to write it carefully. You might want to get closer so you can see better.”

“Okay…” Makoto said as he tightened his grip on the bag and hunched over slightly. “What should I write?”

Makoto was trying so hard to focus that he didn’t notice Haru leaving his side to stand behind him.

“I’ll tell you one letter at a time so that you can do it neatly.”

“Okay, I’m ready now, Haru.”

“W-”

“I-“

“L-”

“L…”

Haru paused to let Makoto finish off the second L.

“Y-”

“O-“

“U…“

Another pause.

“M-”

“A-“

“R-“

“R-“

“Y…”

“Ha…” Makoto whispered without turning around.

Haru noticed Makoto’s arm trembling slightly and took it as his cue. He got down on one knee and pulled the box from his pocket. He opened it to display the band within and waited a few moments before finishing his phrase.

“me?”

Makoto let the frosting bag drop from his grip without adding the last two letters. He brought his hands to his mouth and his chest heaved as silent tears slid down his cheeks. Haru couldn’t see his face, but noticed the droplets hitting the floor in rapid succession. Haru gave Makoto a minute or so to process everything, then spoke again.

“Will you marry me, Makoto?”

Makoto turned around slowly and lowered his hands from his mouth. The sight of him made the tears that were sitting in Haru’s eyes finally fall.

Makoto’s lips were sealed, but his lower lip trembled, as if the word he wanted to say was dying to come out yet couldn’t. His cheeks were flushed and stained with tears, new ones carving a river in his skin every few seconds. His eyes were reddened from crying and glistening from the wetness, but there was more to them than that; they seemed to be shining, as if some signal fire within them had lit up. Haru looked deep into Makoto’s eyes to try to interpret it and found only one thing:

Love.

Complete, unabashed, pure love.    

In those few precious moments, Makoto looked completely overwhelmed and broken by joy.

Haru thought he had never looked more beautiful.

Makoto slowly sunk to his knees and put his arms around Haru. He buried his head in Haru’s neck and repeated one word over and over again in a low voice.

“Yes..!”

That was all Haru wanted to hear for so long, and having finally heard it, he couldn’t hold back any longer. Haru began to cry just as much as, if not more than, Makoto, the only difference being that he was grinning ear to ear the entire time.

After a chorus of loving and affirming “yes”s, Makoto brought his lips to Haru’s ear and whispered:

“Thank you, Haru-chan. Thank you for loving me.”

Makoto couldn’t express in words how much he wanted this, how much he had _always_ wanted this, since he admitted to himself that he was in love with his best friend so many years ago. For Haru to want him back, for Haru to _propose_ … It meant the world to Makoto- Haru was his entire world after all.

But even if Makoto couldn’t communicate his truest feelings to Haru in words or actions, Haru knew. All it took was one look in Makoto’s eyes for Haru to know that he was his, now and forever.

Wanting Makoto to know that the same held true for him, he pulled away from Makoto’s embrace, put his arms around Makoto’s shoulders, and moved forward to kiss him. He put everything he felt for Makoto into that kiss, all of the love, admiration, respect, and affection. It felt special, like it was their first kiss all over again.

When Haru pulled away, he took the ring out of its box and handed it to Makoto. Makoto read the engraving to himself and smiled.

“ _Always here…_ It’s perfect, Haru.”

Haru wanted to say something about how he would promise to always be there for Makoto no matter what, or how he would love him for as long as they could be together, or something like that. But looking into Makoto’s eyes, he knew that he didn’t need to.

Makoto understood, and that was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this! Even if you're reading it for the first time now, or if you've been with me since I first put this fic up, I'd like to say that I truly appreciate it. Double-thank-you if you left kudos or commented because those were really the things that motivated me to finally finish, in addition to telling the story, of course. This was my first-ever fanfic, and definitely my longest one to date, so bringing it to a close feels somewhat bittersweet for me.   
> I actually want to write the brief wedding scene and post-wedding smut chapter, but I felt that it wasn't something I should tack onto this story, ending it the way I did. If I do write that, it will be posted as a separate, standalone work.  
> Thanks again, and leave some kudos or a comment if you liked it!

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is the same as my username here; just replace the underscores with dashes.  
> Let me know what you think of this, and feel free to follow my blog~  
> Thank you for reading!


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